tagliatelle with spinach, mascarpone and parmesan

method

Again, this is a really good dish for kids. Even though they may not eat spinach on its own, I’ve never had a problem feeding this to my two-year-old. The reason she likes it so much is because she can suck on the spaghetti, and the mascarpone and cooking water make a fantastic sauce.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile get a frying pan or wok warm, add a drizzle of olive oil, the butter, garlic and nutmeg. When the butter melts, add the spinach. After 5 minutes it will have wilted down and will be nice and dark. A lot of the liquid will have cooked away and you’ll have wonderful intensely
flavored spinach. At this point season with salt and pepper until it tastes good, then add the cream, mascarpone and a little ladle of cooking water from the pasta. Let this come to a simmer and then season again.

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, then stir it into the spinach sauce. Add the Parmesan and toss everything together. Loosen to a nice silky consistency with some of the reserved cooking water, so it doesn’t become too dry. Check once more for seasoning and serve
straight away.

serves: 4

ingredients

• 1lb tagliatelle or spaghetti
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• ą⁄₂ a nutmeg, freshly grated
• 14oz fresh spinach, washed thoroughly and finely sliced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ą⁄₂ cup heavy cream
• 5oz mascarpone cheese
• 2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese