Stuff it! Pasta
The assignment? To turn a whole heap of English spinach into something everyone would love, and that wasn’t too, you know, spinachy. An overload of spinach tastes ever so slightly metallic. Spinach soup doesn’t ring my bells… it feels potentially too, I don’t know. Greige and slimy? Spinach risotto? Nah. That doesn’t have the right, delicious vibes either. A Turkish-ish burghul pilaf loaded with spinach, mussels, currants, dill and allspice is more my speed but the fam bam won’t eat a mussel without a chorus of whinging and please. Feel my pain here.
Speaking of the Aegean, if I had all the right things in the fridge I’d have totally gone the spanakopita route but phyllo is never an ingredient I can conjure on a whim. It’s in the ‘international purchase’ category of fridge items and I hardly ever buy it.
So I made this baked pasta and it was Mission Freaking Accomplished. It’s got cheesy bits, crispy bits, tomato-ey bits, basil and yes, plenty of spinach too. Lots to love. And the spinach doesn’t take over, even though there’s a shed load of it in there. It does require a bit of effort to strip off the leaves and wash them properly… I fill up the sink with cold water and drown them in it. It’s amazing how much grit sinks to the bottom so honestly, don’t be tempted to skip this part unless you’re fond of sand in your food. I wilted mine by dousing it in plenty of boiling water in a huge bowl because I can be a lazy bugger and this seems easier than faffing with a large saucepan of boiling water to do the same job. By now, you know that I’m all about The Ease. But wilt however you want. I don’t like refreshing in cold water if I can help as I think all that extra water has a flavour-diluting effect and I can’t prove this; it’s just my spidey sense. If you’re a hard-core refresher, go and refresh to your heart's content. A word on the ricotta… you need a good firm, fresh one, not the mooshy stuff in a tub. It’s way too sloppy to hold it’s own in the filling, which should be somewhat firm. And on the tomato sauce, natch a homemade one is the ultimate way to go, but use one out of a jar if that's how you feel like rolling.
SERVES 4
300g conchiglie or other large pasta
750ml (3 cups) passata or homemade tomato sauce
700g spinach (about 3 bunches), leaves removed and washed
420g (1¾ cups) firm, fresh ricotta
110g (1 cup, firmly packed) grated parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
2 eggs, beaten well
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Handful basil leaves, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta for 9-10 minutes (it will not be cooked through), then drain well. Rinse under cold water to cool. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan, cover, reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
Meanwhile, boil the kettle for the spinach leaves. Place the leaves in a large bowl. Pour over boiling water to generously cover, then stand for 3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Drain well, pressing down on the spinach in the colander. Press down firmly on the spinach using the back of a large metal spoon to squeeze out as much water as possible. Cool slightly, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the spinach tightly to get rid of as much liquid as possible. Finely chop the spinach, then place it in a large bowl.
Add the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, nutmeg and basil to the spinach, season with salt and pepper then stir to combine well. Use a teaspoon to fill each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture, packing them well. Place the tomato sauce in the base of a 30 x 6cm (12 cup-capacity) round baking dish, then arrange the pasta on top in a single layer. Scatter with extra parmesan to taste, then bake for about 35 minutes or until the filling is firm and light golden and the sauce is bubbling.