Green Pici With Spicy Nuts

Very green, very delicious, very Twisted. We love how impressive this pasta is whilst also having very few ingredients and being super easy.

Done in 2 hours

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

For the pasta:

300g plain flour

1 tbspolive oil

150ml warm water

For the green sauce:

500g cavolo nero (leaves only)

4 spring onions

2garlic cloves

1 tbspflaked sea salt

100ml olive oil

50gParmesan

Tasty nuts:

50ghazelnuts

40gbutter

1 tsppul biber

1 tsphoney

Green pici, spicy hazelnuts, honey, bouncy noodles - this has it all.

Method

Begin with the pici. In a stand mixer, place the flour, water, oil and salt. Mix until you have a firm dough that springs back when poked - a sign the gluten is doing its thing. Wrap it up and set aside for an hour.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan of well seasoned water to a rolling boil and add the cavolo nero leaves, spring onions and garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes then drain.

In a food processor, whizz up the ingredients until you've got a smooth paste. Pour in the olive oil in the final few moments and season to taste.

In a frying pan, toast the hazelnuts and add the butter. When it's foaming add the pul biber and stir through the honey. Set aside somewhere warm.

Heat a pan of boiling water and season it. Roll out the pici into thin strings - around half the width of your little finger. Depending on the flour you may have to do this in stages, allowing the noodles to relax in between each roll to allow the gluten to stretch.

When ready to cook add the pici to the boiling water and cook for 4 or so minutes, or until tender and cooked through. Reserve some of the water for making the sauce later.

Toss them through the green sauce along with the parmesan and plate up, topped with some of the hot nuts and spicy butter. Sprinkle with a little more parmesan.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.