Gimme all the pasta always. And this pasta has so many of my favourite flavours in it in a delicious harmonious mix. The sauce is enriched with olive oil and coats the pasta so that every bite is flavoursome joy. And the fried capers. The fried capers are like salty and sharp bread crumbs make every one of those bites incredible. 

The salty capers with the sweet capsicum and basil and that fresh lemon zest are amazing. Plus that baby kale is so good in this. You could easily just shred normal kale or swap it for baby spinach or rocket but the baby kale is so perfect. It’s got this savouriness to it that makes it more flavoursome than spinach but not as peppery and robust as kale. It also holds its shape more than those so it doesn’t just melt into the sauce, the sauce instead coats it along with the pasta. It’s a good time.

You can serve this with a pile of greens on the side if you want more vegetables or you could even double the kale if you’re a fan. I actually like it just as is as long as I’ve got enough serves of vegetables in already that day. If I haven’t I’d usually just add some zoodles when tossing through the pasta. I also sometimes add a fried egg on top for extra protein and because it adds richness to the sauce.

Make sure you make the sauce in a big enough pan for you to toss everything in, it makes life way easier and means you don’t leave any flavour behind in the pan.

OH and please vote for me in the BUPA blog awards!! It would mean so much to me:)

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g linguini

3 Tbs olive oil

3 Tbs capers

1 red capsicum, finely diced

4 anchovies

1 french shallot

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 Tbs tomato paste (no added salt)

6 cups baby kale (alternatively you could use baby spinach or rocket)

1 lemon (juice and rind)

1/4 cup shredded basil

1/4 cup parmesan, freshly grated + extra to serve

optional: 1 fried egg

Directions

Place a large pot of salted water on to boil. Once boiling add pasta and cook according to instructions. Before draining reserve 1 cup of cooking water.

Heat 1/2 the olive oil in a large pan. Once hot add capers and fry until crispy, tossing the pan often. It should only take a minute. Remove capers with a slotted spoon and add the garlic, capsiucm, shallot, anchovies and chilli. Stir breaking up the anchovies. Cook for a few minutes to until the onion and capsicum has started to soften.

Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water along with the baby kale, 1/2 the basil, 1/2 the capers, the parmesan, lemon rind, lemon juice, remaining olive oil and the cooked pasta. Toss to combine adding more cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. You want it to just coat the linguini.

Serve with the remaining basil and capers sprinkled over top along with some extra parmesan and a crack of black pepper. Do not add any salt until after you’ve tasted it as the capers, parmesan and anchovies will be salty already. Add the fried egg on top if using.

HH. x