Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Cavolo Nero & Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumbs
This is a really easy midweek summer pasta that’s full of flavour, quick to make and relies mainly on simple store cupboard ingredients. If you don’t have cavolo nero, feel free to swap it for kale, just remove the stalks and finely shred the leaves. The
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
COOKING TIME
20
MINUTES
Ingredients
300g dried spaghetti
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced into very thin rounds
6 anchovies
1 hot red chilli, finely sliced
200g cavolo nero, stalks removed and leaves shredded
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1½–2 lemons
50g unsalted butter
1 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
Freshly ground black pepper
For the breadcrumbs
2 handfuls panko breadcrumbs or even better if you have stale sourdough blitz into crumbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
A little finely grated lemon zest
A little finely grated Parmesan
Method
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and crisp. Season with a pinch of sea salt, a little lemon zest and a small handful of Parmesan, then set aside.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, place a wide pan over medium heat and add a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add the anchovies and gently cook until they melt away into the oil. Lower the heat slightly and add the garlic and chilli. Cook gently until the garlic is soft and fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
Add half the butter and allow it to melt gently into the oil. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon, then add the cavolo nero and cook until just wilted. Season lightly with flaky sea salt, then turn off the heat while the pasta cooks.
Cook the spaghetti until almost al dente. When the pasta is ready, ladle about half a cup of the starchy pasta water into the cavolo nero pan and bring it back over medium heat. Transfer the spaghetti directly into the pan using tongs, allowing a little of the pasta water to cling to the strands.
Add the remaining butter, the remaining lemon zest, most of the Parmesan and a generous twist of black pepper. Toss everything gently over the heat until the butter, cheese and pasta water emulsify into a glossy, lightly creamy sauce.
If the pasta looks too dry, add another splash of pasta water. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, sea salt or black pepper until perfectly balanced. Divide the pasta between four warm bowls and finish with extra Parmesan, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the golden Parmesan breadcrumbs.
Serve immediately.
