It was the little guy’s birthday weekend. Party. Kids. Long drives to the Mum-in-laws. By the time we got home to Sydney, it was nearly 7pm. Nothing in the fridge to reheat when you need it of course, so I hopped to the creative challenge of rustling something up – you may have guessed by now, I LOVE that!
So here’s what I came up with and why would you make it? It’s delish. It’s 15 minutes. It’s cheap – About $12-15 for an organic meal for 4 people.
Special Dietary notes: Buckwheat pasta is gluten free, so tuck in everybody! Easily able to be a vegetarian number, if you skip the ham. Able to be dairy free if needs be, if you swap out the butter for macadamia oil and skip the goat’s cheese – rice cream works, if you want that same creamy vibe.
Real Food. Happy Bodies.
Super Quick Zesty Buckwheat Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g buckwheat pasta spaghetti or penne. Both work (If you want to use your favourite regular pasta, go for it!)
- 1 small bunch Cavalo Nero / Black Tuscan cabbage, chopped and measure a cup full, tightly packed in to the cup.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 spring onion stalks, green bits and all
- 1 big handful fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp spreadable goats cheese or goat's curd (I use Soignon, it’s fab!)
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets, then halved again
- 75 g quality butter
- 4 thick slices of the best ham off the bone you can afford Preferably chemical nitrate free. Always from piggies who had happy lives!
- salt and pepper to taste
- parmeggiano reggiano or pecorino as much as you like, to top.
Instructions
- Get water on to boil. One teaspoon Celtic Sea salt.
- Cut your broccoli florets, and halve them, so that the stalks aren’t too thick. THe minute the water boild, dunk the broccoli into the boiling water for a minute, and then take out and set aside.
- Now, Pasta into the water.
- In your Mini food processor (or mortar and pestle if you’re taking the cave man route!) blend cavalo nero, parsley, garlic, spring onion until a rough, fine chop is created, like so:
- Then, zest your lemon, pop it in.
- Cut your ham slices to a fine dice to have them ready.
- Shave some parmeggiano, ready for topping as you serve.
- Pasta should be done. Al Dente (chewy texture) is imperative. When cooking with Gluten free pastas, there is a fine line between al dente & falling apart.
- Strain it off.
- Pop butter into the pot now until it melts. Then pop ham, cavolo nero blend into the pot and stir through with the butter for 30 seconds tops – Smells Amazing, no?
- Add pasta, cooked broccoli, goats cheese and stir through. Check for seasoning and add S&P as you wish!
- You’re done. You could drizzle with olive oil if you wanted. Why not?