cavolo nero + ricotta + pecorino {pasta}

I was thinking about something my sister Robin said the other day. It was another version of the ‘people are stupid’ conversation we often have. In particular she was complaining about her CSA, and that the people who prepared the boxes of vegetables for delivery were  being so overly fair that they tried to give everyone at least get a little bit of everything each week. In theory that’s a good thing. But in reality, she would open her box of fresh vegetables, and in addition to full heads of lettuce, and bunches of beets, she would find things like 8 leaves of cavolo nero, or 1 carrot. “What am I supposed to do with 8 leaves of cavolo nero? Put it in a vase and look at it?” But when either of my sisters asks me a food-related question, I do usually try to answer it. Even if they are being sarcastic. So the other day, when I was picking my own cavolo nero in the garden in Umbria, I finally came up with an answer for my sister. Although I had slightly more than 8 leaves of cavolo nero, I didn’t have much more, since the plants weren’t really in full form yet. So I decided to try and figure out a recipe my sister could easily make with a mini crop of leaves. The thing is with cavolo nero, (which is a kind of Italian kale), the taste is actually quite strong and the texture is pretty sturdy. That meant that I could think of it as more of an flavoring, instead of a main ingredient. Once I started thinking of it that way, the rest came easy. I stripped the leaves off the tough stems, then wilted my little bunch of cavolo in a pan with a bit of garlic and olive oil. At this point, if I was going to think of it as a side dish, my sister would be justified in referring to her CSA as stupid. It is a pathetic amount, not even one cup once it cooked down. But as a base for a pasta sauce? Just about perfect. I dumped it in the food processor, along some fresh ricotta and grated aged pecorino. A bit of salt and pepper, and I had a deep green, cheesey, sauce for pasta. I’m sure, Robin, that you have long since done something with your half dozen leaves of cavolo nero. Sorry it took me so long to answer. But, since people are stupid, I’m sure you’ll be faced with a similar situation soon. One carrot did you say? pasta with cavolo nero, ricotta and pecorino 1/2 kilo / 1 pound rigatoni or other short pasta 1 very small bunch (6 to 10 leaves) cavolo nero 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 tsp salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup ricotta 3/4 cup grated pecorino (Tuscan, not Roman) Rinse off the cavolo nero and strip it off the touch stems. You can do this by holding on to the stem with one hand and use the other hand to just strip away the leaves with your closed fist. Chop the leaves roughly. Pour the olive oil into a saute pan and add the garlic. Heat gently until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the chopped cavolo nero and salt. Stir, and add about a 1/4 cup of water. Cook until the leaves are wilted. This should take about 10 minutes. You may need to add a bit more water, but try not to. You don’t want any left at the end. When the cavolo nero has cooled off a bit, put it in the bowl of a food processor. Add the ricotta and pecorino and process, pulsing, until you can a smoothish mixture. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. When al dente, drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water. Place pasta in a large bowl, and add the ricotta mixture. Stir into pasta, adding a bit of the cooking water as needed if it feels too thick. Serve with extra grated pecorino and freshly ground black pepper.