Serves 4
400g rigatoni
Spinach balls
500g spinach, cleaned and tough stalks removed
2 eggs, beaten
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp very finely pureed garlic
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
50g parmesan, finely grated
olive oil, for shallow frying
Courgette Sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
8 tbsp olive oil
2 courgettes, trimmed and finely grated
60g parmesan, freshly grated
- Wash spinach, place it in a pan of salted boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, then drain. Squeeze out as much water as you can, using your hands or pressing in a sieve, then chop leaves finely.
- Place spinach in a medium bowl and stir in beaten eggs, a pinch of salt, some pepper, the nutmeg, garlic, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Mix well until you achieve a binding consistency. If the mixture is too wet, add an extra tablespoonful of breadcrumbs.
- Pour enough olive oil into a frying pan to cover the base generously and heat gently. Roll mixture into little balls the size of walnuts. Shallow-fry in the hot olive oil until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Drain on kitchen paper then keep warm in a very low oven.
- In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. When ready, drain, reserving a few tablespoonfuls of pasta cooking water.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Fry garlic and chilli in the oil for about a minute – don’t let garlic brown – then add the courgettes and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until courgettes have started to soften.
- Add parmesan to sauce, season to taste and mix well. Toss with drained pasta and reserved cooking water. Serve hot with warmed spinach balls on top.