Pasta with cardoons and parmesan

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Durum wheat pasta80 g
• Cardoons200 g
• Parmigiano Reggiano15 g
• Garlic1 clove
• Extra virgin olive oil1 tablespoon
• Lemon juiceto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: gluten, lactose,

In season: November – February

Method

1. Fill a bowl with cold water and the lemon juice. Clean the cardoons: remove the leaves and the toughest outer stalks, then peel off the stringy fibres with a vegetable peeler; cut the stalks into roughly 4 cm pieces and drop them straight into the acidulated water so they don't blacken.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil, salt it once it boils and cook the drained cardoons over medium heat for 20 minutes, until tender to a fork; lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep the water on the heat for the pasta.
3. Add the pasta to the same water and cook for the time on the packet, usually 9–11 minutes, until al dente.
4. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat with the crushed garlic for a minute and sauté the cardoons for 5 minutes, until lightly golden; remove the garlic.
5. Drain the pasta, keeping a small ladle of the cooking water, and toss it with the cardoons and grated Parmigiano, adding water until creamy.