Meat mains
Chorizo and sprout top pasta
A version of carbonara with a Spanish feel. Gone is the bacon in favour of chorizo, and we have yoghurt in place of the cream. What does remain is the essence of thickening the sauce with an egg that is cooked in the heat of the finished dish. Mix well and evenly at the end so that the egg doesn't scramble, but rather becomes silken and incorporated.
Cook's notes
Sprout tops are a real farm treat. They are a different beast to the sprout itself, less cabbagey and sulphurous, much more like tender summer greens. They are often overlooked in the rush to harvest their divisive offspring.
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- olive oil
- 1 head sprout tops
- 2 garlic cloves
- 300g chorizo – use 2 sausages
- 1 lemon
- 15g parsley
- 3 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 egg
- 250g spelt spaghetti
- 25g Parmesan
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Peel the onion, slice it finely and add it to the frying pan. Fry gently in a little oil for 15 minutes until starting to soften. Meanwhile, wash the sprout tops, cut away the tough central stalk, roll the leaves into a rough cigar shape and shred them finely widthways.
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Step 2
Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
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Step 3
Cut away the skin from 2 of the chorizos and break each into 10 even-sized pieces. Zest and juice the lemon. Wash half the parsley, shake dry and remove the leaves, chopping them roughly. Put the yoghurt into the small bowl, crack in the egg and whisk together.
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Step 4
Season with a little salt and pepper and half the lemon zest. Add the spaghetti to the pan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, until just tender.
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Step 5
Turn up the heat on the frying pan and add the chorizo. Cook for 4-5 minutes until both the chorizo and onions have taken on some colour. Add the sprout tops and garlic to the frying pan and continue to cook for a few more minutes until they start to wilt.
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Step 6
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water as you do. Add the spaghetti to the frying pan and toss together with the chorizo and sprout tops. Add the yoghurt, egg mix and 3 tablespoons of the pasta water.
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Step 7
Throw together until the sauce thickens a little in the heat. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and Parmesan.