Sometimes there is nothing finer in life than a big old bowl of pasta. The linguine with the chilli, garlic and parsley is a great dish by it's own accord (and a great meal in 10 minutes in you're short on time and want a quick simple dinner), but if you want to push the boat out and make an extra special pasta dish then the spinach and parmesan polpette really elevate it to another level. This is super simple to make, just make sure that you squeeze the spinach fully, otherwise you'll end up with soggy balls..... no one wants that!
Serves 4
Ingredients
Polpette
300g spinach
25g butter
100g sourdough bread
80g parmesan
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Black pepper
A few gates of fresh nutmeg (optional, but lovely)
Sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil for frying the polpette
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 red chillies (depending on how spicy you like it), finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large handful parsley, finely chopped
75-100g linguine per person
Extra parmesan for spinkling over before serving
Directions
Place the butter in a large pan over a low to medium heat.
Add the spinach and place the lid on the pan.
Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
Allow to cool completely and then squeeze the spinach.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan.
Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for a further minute.
Remove and set aside, allowing to cool.
Place the sourdough into a food processor and blitz until it becomes breadcrumbs.
Remove and add the parmesan and blitz again, until you achieve a fine breadcrumb texture. Return the breadcrumbs to the food processor and blitz again.
Add the cooled, squeezed spinach, lemon zest and the shallot and garlic mixture and pulse until the mixture combines.
Add the egg and plenty of black pepper, a few grates of nutmeg and a pinch of sea salt and mix again to combine.
Place the mixture into the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
Divide the mixture into 20 , and then use your hands to roll into little polpette (balls!).
Place the balls in the fridge for 15 minutes (don't leave this step out!).
Cook the linguine according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan and cook the polpette over a medium heat for 5 minutes, turning regularly, until golden.
Remove and place on a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil, set aside (keep warm).
Add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add the chilli and garlic and fry over a low to medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring regularly until the garlic and chilli are fragrant and the garlic is lightly golden.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Drain the linguine, reserving 1 tbsp of the cooking water.
Add the linguine to the chilli and garlic oil and toss well to combine, season well with lots of black pepper and a pinch of sea salt.
Divide the linguine between serving plates and top each plate with 5 polpette.
Grate over a little extra parmesan and serve immediately.
Delicious x