Buckwheat pasta with potatoes and Swiss chard (pizzoccheri)

Ingredients

• 300 g pizzoccheri (made usually with ⅓ Italian ‘00’ flour, ⅔ buckwheat flour)
• 200 g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 200 g Swiss chard, leaves only
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 80 g unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 300 g Bitto or Toma cheese, cut into small cubes
• 100 g parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

Put the pizzoccheri, potatoes and Swiss chard in a large saucepan and cover with lightly salted boiling water. Cook together until soft, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan and fry the garlic until cooked but not brown.

Drain the pasta, potatoes and chard and put in a large ovenproof dish. While still warm, mix in the cubes of cheese. Pour over the foaming butter and garlic and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then mix together well.

Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Note

• When sourcing Bitto or Toma cheese for this recipe, look for young, less mature varieties, as these will melt more evenly and provide a richer, creamier flavour than well-aged ones.