Orecchiette with Ricotta, beetroot tops, speck and walnuts
Cooking the beetroot tops down until the purple stalks grow tender and sweet is the key to this simple recipe with delicate pasta and walnuts for added texture
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
5
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
15
MINUTES
Ingredients
400g dried Orecchiette
20 beetroot tops
100g speck, sliced thinly
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp parsley
80g walnuts, chopped roughly
1 tbsp Parmesan, gratedÂ
juice of ½ lemon
salt
black pepper
250g ricotta
1 garlic clove, slice thinly
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Wash the beetroot tops well in cold water and leave to drain in a colander. Add the pasta to the pot and cook for roughly 10 minutes or until al dente. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the sliced garlic clove. When the garlic starts to turn golden and fragrant, add the beetroot tops, wilting it in the butter.
Next add the thin slices of speck and stir through the pan for around one minute before adding the lemon juice and Parmesan. Take the pan off the heat, season to taste. Stir through the walnuts and parsley. I like to serve the pasta with several blobs of Ricotta on each plate of pasta, seasoned with salt and pepper.
