This is one of those dishes that looks so inviting when it hits the table. It feels healthy but still packs enough richness and savouriness to make it properly satisfying. The base is a silky green sauce made with kale or cavolo nero, basil, garlic, lemon, parmesan and almonds, but the thing that really takes it somewhere else is the cured pork.
You can absolutely make the pasta without cured pork, but if you want to add another dimension of flavour, I highly recommend it. Guanciale brings this deep, salty, mature flavour and renders out a beautiful fat that we use in a few different ways. The crispy pork becomes a garnish, the fat is used to toast the breadcrumbs, and a spoonful goes into the sauce to help bring everything together.
If you don’t have guanciale, there are plenty of alternatives that work just as well which I’ll run through below. The idea is just to introduce something salty, savoury and rich to balance out the freshness of the greens.
Now then, let’s get into it.
A few things to know before you start
Cured Pork: Guanciale is my preference here because it has that distinct, mature, salty flavour and renders out a lot of fat, but there are a few more options that work great too.
Croutons: I like dicing the sourdough into fine cubes rather than making standard blitzed breadcrumbs. You get a more refined crunch, and it looks much more elegant on the plate.
Blanching: The ice bath is important. It stops the greens cooking further and helps keep the sauce bright, green and vibrant.
Blender: Use a proper blender if you can. A stick blender will do the job, but the sauce won’t be nearly as smooth.
Finish: Keep the sauce loose and glossy with pasta water, olive oil or a little unsalted butter.
Serves 2
