This vibrant green sauce adds lot of flavor and texture to an otherwise simple pasta. I was originally interested by a green kale pasta by NYT Cooking, but I found the kale made it difficult to get a smooth texture and just dominated too much. More tender greens like spinach or baby kale works better to create a silkier smoother texture.
The second secret ingredient: sunchokes! Sautéing and then pureeing them results in a rich, creamy sauce so you don’t need any heavy cream. I picked up on this trick in Vegetable Kingdom by Bryant Terry and have been using it in a bunch of different ways and adjusting it to my own liking/pantry.
Green Sunchoke Linguine
Difficulty Level: 2. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of green sauce (an easily be halved, but also works for leftovers).
- 4 ounces total greens, (can be a mix- I will usually do half spinach and half collards or another somewhat tender green)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 onion, roughly diced (1/2 cup or so)
- 1/4 sunchokes, roughly diced (3 or so sun chokes, each around the size of a golfball)
- 1 garlic clove, roughly diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine, (No white wine on hand? I hate to buy a whole bottle just for a tablespoon, I get it. I have omitted this one time when I didn’t have it on hand, but the acidity really does help keep it balanced, so if possible… get it. If you don’t have white wine, a touch of lemon juice at the end will help balance the acidity but has a stronger flavor)
- 1/2 cup cashews or blanched almonds
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 1 package of linguine, cooked according to directions
- Blanch greens: Blanch greens in salted boiling water for 1:30-2 minutes, until wilted and bright green. Run under cold water to stop cooking.
- Saute sunchokes and onions: In a small saucepan, add in oil, onion, sunchokes, and garlic. Saute over low to medium heat until brown, about 7ish minutes. If you notice any sticking, add a bit more oil. Season with salt and pepper during this time.
- White Wine: Add in white wine and saute until it has mostly evaporated, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside, off heat.
- Cook pasta: Cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Blend: Transfer to blender and add in cashews and 3/4 cup water (ideally the reserved pasta water if you can, but you can also just do plain water). Blend until smooth. If you notice it is too thick, add in a bit of water, a few tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency.
- Add greens: Add in blanched greens and puree again until smooth. Add in more water, a few tablespoons at a time, as needed.
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