Bitter greens, chilli, pork crackling pasta

Bitter greens, chilli, pork crackling pasta

The best part of a pork roast is the crackling, so it’s only right that there is a pasta dish to celebrate this. Of course, the Italians have already created such a dish in the form of a stuffed pasta with bitter greens that gets tossed through a topping of chilli and pork crackling. The dish hails from Puglia – the region best known for its deeply rooted ‘cucina povera’ traditions. This means that the cuisine tends to be simple, cheap and makes use of absolutely everything, including pig skin. In fact, it could be argued that some of the most famous (and delicious) meals were invented by people who were short on time, money and resources, making the most of the ingredients available. This dish is no different: simple, affordable and full of flavour.
You can pick up pig skin from your local butcher or direct from market stall-holders for about $2. Cime di rapa, also known as broccoli rabe, is a bitter green that comes into season in autumn. If you can’t find it, which I admit can be difficult if you don’t have access to a farmers’ market, cavolo nero, chicory, spinach, rainbow chard or kale leaves work just as well. And like the thrifty Italians, if you have some radishes you could also throw in the tops with the greens, which adds a further layer of bitterness and makes use of the whole ingredient.

Recipe from Saturday Night Pasta, recipes and self-care rituals for the home cook.

Serves 4

  • Ingredients

    250–300 g piece of pork skin 2 tablespoons extra-virgin
    olive oil
    2 teaspoons sea salt
    1 teaspoon chilli flakes
    ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
    2 garlic cloves, chopped
    1 bunch of cime di rapa, cavolo nero, chicory, spinach, rainbow chard or kale, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
    large handful of grated
    Parmigiano Reggiano, plus extra to serve zest of 1 lemon

    FRESH PASTA FOR 4 orecchiette, cavatelli/malloreddus
    DRIED PASTA FOR 4 gnocchetti sardi, rigatoni

  • Method

    Preheat the oven to 220°C fan-forced.
    Using a sharp knife, score the pork skin. This helps the heat of the oven and the salt work their way through the skin, drying out the moisture and making your crackling really crisp.
    Rub 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the salt, ½ teaspoon of the chilli flakes and the fennel seeds all over the pork skin and place on a wire rack over a baking tray (this allows the fat to drip down off the skin as opposed to the skin sitting in its own fat). Roast for 45 minutes, then carefully turn the pork skin over and roast for a further 10–15 minutes, until bubbles appear and the crackling is golden and crisp.
    If you’re like me, resist the urge to nibble the crackling and leave it to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting up into small shards ready for sprinkling. Now you can enjoy a small piece – the cook’s treat – I won’t tell.
    Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
    Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in
    a frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining chilli flakes and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic just starts to soften, but not brown. Throw in the greens and toss to coat until wilted.
    Add the pasta directly to the greens, along with a 125 ml (½ cup) of the cooking water. Add the Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon zest and give everything a good toss, adding a little extra cooking water if needed to loosen things up.
    Divide the pasta among bowls and rain over the pork crackling. Be generous. Sprinkle with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.

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