Kalette ‘Carbonara’

Unctuous, hearty & ready in a flash

Flower sprouts are a relatively newcomer to the world of vegetables, and how wonderful they are. The offspring of Brussels sprouts and kale, kalettes have all the earthy green flavour of kale, and the delicious nutty sweetness of Brussels with no bitterness. Their structure is far more delicate meaning they can be cooked in almost any way you like, even eaten raw.

Carbonara was born out of necessity, but with an eclectic influence coming together to create something quite stunning in its simplicity. Not only is this dish incredibly simple, but it is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. If that wasn’t enough the harmonious marriage of cheese, egg and pasta makes carbonara one of my all time favourite comfort foods.

Kalettes are perfectly suited to a carbonara, seasoned by garlic, lots of nutty fiery black pepper and rich cheese. I have used walnut oil to bring out their flavour but other oils will work just as well.


Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
240g fresh egg tagliatelle
150g Kalettes
Walnut oil
1 small onion or shallot
2 cloves of garlic (or to your taste)
A pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
Sea salt flakes
2 egg yolks (freeze the whites for another day)
80g strong hard cheese (Witheridge in Hay)
Lots of fresh ground black pepper


1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil with a lid on. While this is coming up to the boil trim the hard kalette bases and cut them in quarters lengthways. Finely dice the shallot and slice the garlic. 
2. Grate the cheese and mix with the egg yolks to a paste, then season with lots of black pepper. Put this to one side.
3. Heat a generous puddle of oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and gently cook the onion and garlic. Season with a little salt and chilli flakes. Once the onions are translucent add the kalettes and turn the heat up slightly. 
4. The water should be boiling by now. Add the pasta and cook until it floats, around 3 minutes. For dried pasta follow the guidelines on the packet.  
5. Once cooked do not drain, instead bring the pan next to the kalettes and schlopp the pasta over with some tongs or a pasta spoon. The idea being to bring some of the water along for the ride.  
6. Add the cheese and yolk mixture to the pasta and stir in with another ladle of pasta water off the heat. 
7. Once everything is well mixed there should be just enough sauce to cling to the pasta while still being a little wet. Don’t be afraid to add a little more water if it looks too dry. 
Serve with a drizzle of walnut oil and shavings of your favourite cheese.

Chef Notes:
1. Walnut oil has a very low burning temperature so take extra care not to have too high a heat.
2. The sauce thickens as it cools so don’t worry if it seems a little watery as you make it. 
3. Dried pasta works just as well but as its starch content will be higher use a little more water. Also reduce the quantity by 20g per person.
4. The chilli flakes give a gentle punch to the black pepper that goes fabulously with the kalettes.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer