Spaghetti with Kale, Anchovies and Walnuts Recipe

Spaghetti with Kale, Anchovies and Walnuts

An effortless last minute no-sweat recipe for dinner, done with the help of some pantry staples. This dish calls for a fair amount of anchovies.  It pays to invest in good quality anchovies in the glass.

Yield: 4 servings

Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz (340 g) spaghetti or linguine
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
  • 3 fat garlic cloves, finely minced
  • red pepper (chile) flakes to taste
  • 8 anchovies, rinsed and drained on paper towels
  • 4 cups (120 g) kale, ready chopped or thinly shredded
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup (110 g) broken walnuts, toasted
  • grated Parmesan
Spaghetti with Kale, Anchovies and Walnuts Recipe
Shredded Kale

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over moderately high heat. Add garlic and red chile flakes. Cook stirring for 1 minute. Add anchovies cook until they start to dissolve in the oil, about 3 minutes. If necessary, mash anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon while you cook.

Add kale and sauté until it starts to wilt, stirring constantly to coat the kale with the olive oil. Add 2 tablespoon of water and continue cooking for about 5 minutes longer.  Add more water if needed and cook until kale is “al dente”. Add walnuts and lemon zest and give it a stir.

While the kale is cooking, bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add pasta and salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Save 1 cup of cooking pasta water. Add drained pasta to the kale mixture and toss it well.  If pasta kale mix seems to dry add a bit of the cooking water and stir.

Serve drizzled with extra olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground pepper.

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