Mafaldine Con Battuto Di Erbe Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash cime di rapa and broccoli leaves thoroughly. Trim and discard very tough stems from cime di rapa; slice remaining stems into 1 cm pieces and roughly chop leaves. Pat dry or spin in a salad spinner.

Toast nuts & measure

Warm a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and toast, shaking the pan, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3–4 minutes. Remove and cool. Measure and zest lemon; set aside.

Bring water to boil

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (about 4–5 L) to a vigorous boil for the mafaldine.

Rough-chop ingredients

Coarsely chop the cooled toasted nuts, garlic, marjoram, and parsley so they will process evenly. Place in a food processor or mortar.

Pulse to a coarse paste

Add the chopped garlic, marjoram, parsley, toasted nuts, lemon zest, Pecorino, salt and pepper to the food processor. Pulse in short bursts until you have a coarse, slightly chunky paste (battuto). Scrape down sides as needed. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to help it come together — it should be moist but not oily.

Adjust seasoning

Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Set the battuto aside at room temperature while you cook the pasta and greens.

Blanch greens

When the pasta water boils, add the mafaldine and cook according to package instructions for al dente, usually 8–10 minutes. With 4 minutes remaining on the pasta, add the chopped cime di rapa stems and tougher leaves to the pot to blanch. After 1–2 minutes (when stems begin to soften), add the broccoli leaves and remaining tender cime di rapa leaves and cook together until pasta is al dente and greens are tender, about 2–3 more minutes. Reserve 200 ml (about 1 cup) of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and greens together, reserving the water separately.

Sauté aromatics

While pasta is finishing, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper if using and gently warm for 20–30 seconds. Add the prepared battuto and sauté, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to release aromas — be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add stock and reduce

Pour 150–200 ml of the reserved pasta water and the stock into the pan with the battuto. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer, letting the liquids reduce slightly for 2–3 minutes until the sauce becomes glossy and slightly thickened.

Finish pasta in pan

Add the drained mafaldine and blanched greens into the pan. Toss thoroughly over medium heat so the pasta strands are coated and the greens are evenly distributed. If the sauce seems tight, add more reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time to loosen. Cook together for 1–2 minutes to marry flavors.

Final seasoning & serve

Remove from heat and taste; add more salt, pepper, or lemon zest if desired. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil (if desired) and divide among serving plates. Optionally sprinkle extra Pecorino and an extra pinch of toasted nuts for texture.