Every mouthful of this dish reminds me of home: family sitting around the table sharing food and stories.

Danny says…

I have always loved Italy. In so many ways living here in Mussomeli reminds me of my home in country Australia: the sun, the sea and, of course, the food. Food is life in Italy. I moved to the beautiful island of Sicily in 2020 to open a community kitchen called The Good Kitchen.

Every week I rescue surplus food from supermarkets in town and then we put that food to good use. We provide fresh food parcels to vulnerable people and on Sunday we all sit down to lunch. Our Italian nonnas who volunteer in the kitchen have taught me so much, including how to cook with all parts of a vegetable and reduce food waste in the kitchen.

The recipe that I am sharing with you is a firm favourite in the kitchen. The nonnas showed me how to save the leaves from vegetables and turn them into a spectacular pasta sauce. Every mouthful of this dish reminds me of home: family sitting around the table sharing food and stories. The dish also reminds me of my own grandmother who raised her family on a farm. Granny never wasted any food and she had this innate ability to turn the simplest of ingredients into a delicious dish. I don’t have any Italian roots but it does not matter, as food has been the great connector for me and laid the foundations for a life in Italy that is full of love and laughter. I hope you enjoy the recipe, a great money saver as well, as it uses all parts of the veg.

The Good Kitchen: Love and Connection Through Food (melbourne books) by Danny McCubbin is out now.

Green Pasta Sauce With Wilted Greens

Serves 4–6

350g whole greens (spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, silverbeet); leaves and stalks included, stalks sliced and leaves roughly chopped
500g spaghetti
80g grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons lemon juice
400ml boiling water; use the same water for greens and pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 can white beans (optional)

Method

Boil a large pot of water (about 5 litres) with a teaspoon of salt.

When the water starts to boil, add the chopped stalks and cook for around 3 minutes, depending on type and thickness of stalk.

Add the leaves and cook for another 3 minutes. Once the stalks are tender, remove all the greens with a slotted spoon.

Put the spaghetti in the boiling water used for the greens. Swirl to separate and boil for the time stated on the pack.

Put half of the wilted greens in a food processor (or jug if using a handheld stick blender). Reserve the other half for later.

Puree the greens with the lemon juice, parmesan and some of the pasta-greens water until you achieve a thick sauce consistency.

Heat a deep, wide frying pan, add the olive oil and lightly fry the garlic. Add the reserved wilted greens and fry gently for 30 seconds, then add the sauce.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the pan. Cook for a further minute.

Season to taste. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Variations

Add one can of beans when you cook the garlic (any white bean or fagioli works well). Stir through a handful of rocket just before serving. My friend and brilliant photographer Ros Atkinson made a delicious version of this recipe by swapping out the wilted greens for fennel tops – just pick the fronds off four bulbs of fennel and finely chop the tender ends. Lightly fry in a hot pan with some chopped garlic, then follow the recipe for wilted greens, swapping them out for the cooked fennel tops.

Published in Ed#716