Garlicky charred greens with wholewheat penne recipe

I love cutting cubes of cheese and wiggling them into the pasta as it cooks so that they are little surprise nuggets when I eat it.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or grated

• ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes

• 1 litre water

• 500g dried wholewheat or farro penne

• 600g chopped cime di rapa, ends trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces or 300g chard or cavolo nero, leaves removed from stems, cut into 2½cm ribbons

• 45g grated Pecorino Romano, plus more to serve

• Zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 30cm frying pan over a medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about three minutes.

2. Add the garlic and a pinch or more of chilli flakes, stirring constantly until fragrant but not browned, about a minute.

3. Pour the water into the frying pan, raising the heat to reach a vigorous boil, then add the pasta and more salt. The water shouldn’t taste like the sea, as you’re not draining the liquid.

4. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about two minutes less than the package instructions, and stirring every few minutes to ensure nothing is sticking, about 10 minutes.

5. Turn on the grill to high. Place an oven rack 15cm from the heat source (if the grill is inside your oven).

6. Stir in the cime di rapa and top with the grated pecorino. Add the little cheese nuggets, if using.

7. Place under the grill until the cheese has melted and turned a light golden hue and the cime di rapa is starting to brown, about two to three minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.

8. Remove, top with lemon zest and more cheese, if you like.

Keeping it Simple by Yasmin Fahr is published by Hardie Grant (£16.99). Order your copy from books.telegraph.co.uk