Tagliatelle with cavolo nero

Serves 4

The cavolo nero creates a lovely green sauce that wraps itself round the pasta (Lisa Barber)

Cavolo nero or black cabbage is one of my favourite winter vegetables – but it does need attention to flavouring, so as not to taste too monotonous. Here I have puréed half and seasoned it with anchovies, butter and Parmesan before folding it through long strips of cooked cabbage to create a wonderful green sauce that wraps itself seductively around the pasta.

Serves 4

1 bunch of cavolo nero
A good pinch of sea salt
40g/11/2oz unsalted butter
2 tbsp grassy flavoured extra-virgin olive oil
3 good-quality anchovies, such as Ortiz
3 cloves of garlic
75g/3oz grated Parmesan

Rinse the cabbage well to remove any dirt. Strip the dark fibrous leaves from their stalks and discard the stalks. Boil a large pot of well-salted water, plunge in the leaves and cook for five minutes. Remove and drain. Separate the cooked cabbage in half. Place one half in a bowl and the other in a food processor along with the butter, oil, anchovies, garlic and Parmesan and purée until smooth. Remove and spoon into the bowl, stirring well through the cooked cabbage. Serve with tagliatelle.