Pappardelle alla Crema di Fagioli Borlotti

“ボルロッティ豆のピュレとパッパルデレ”

This humble pasta was once made as staff food by a Tuscan chef when I worked at a trattoria in London.

In Italian, crema means cream and is often used to describe a smooth purée made from cooked vegetables or legumes. Peas, chickpeas, courgettes, potatoes, pumpkins — the possibilities are endless, depending on what’s in season. The ingredients are sometimes cooked with onion or stock before being blitzed into a smooth purée.

I was fascinated by how simple vegetables could be turned into such delicious pasta sauces. This pappardelle with borlotti bean purée is the very essence of the resourcefulness of Italian cooking that I adore: transforming humble ingredients into something unexpectedly delicious. Coming across dishes like this was most rewarding and reassuring an uncertain period in my kitchen career.

Ingredients for 2

Cooked borlotti beans, drained  150g

Olive oil   3tbsp

Garlic cloves, large, crushed   2

Chilli   to taste

Baby plum tomatoes, halved   a handful

Spinach   a handful

Pappardelle  

Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water. Drain, squeeze out the excess water and chop coarsely.

2. Blend the beans into a smooth purée, adding a little water if the mixture is too thick to blend.

3. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil, crushed garlic and chilli gently in a frying pan over a low heat. Once fragrant, discard the garlic before it burns. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and lose their shape. Add a little water if needed to prevent them from sticking or burning.

4. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Add the bean purée to the frying pan and stir in a little pasta water to loosen the sauce.

5. When the pasta is almost cooked, transfer it to the frying pan. Add the spinach and toss everything together over the heat, adding more pasta water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente and the sauce reaches your desired thickness.

6. Serve with a drizzle of good-quality olive oil and grated Parmesan, if desired.