Pappardelle with Cavolo Nero and ‘Nduja

1 large floury potato

500g cavolo nero or other kale or dark leafy greens

500g pappardelle 

60g unsalted butter

150g’nduja 

3 x 15ml tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve 

- Fill a large pan with cold water and add salt with abandon.

- Peel the potato (as you want to help it break down a little as it cooks with the pasta) and cut it into 1cm cubes, then add these to the pan of salted water and bring to a boil.

- Meanwhile, pull the leaves off the stalks of the cavolo nero, tear them into smaller pieces, and leave in a colander for now.

 - Once the water in the pan has come to a boil, cook the potato cubes for 10 minutes, and then add the pappardelle; I don’t use egg pappardelle, but the sturdier durum wheat kind, which take around 7 minutes to cook; if you have only the finer egg pappardelle, which take about half the time, add the cavolo nero to the water first. Give the pappardelle a good stir, and once the water has reached boiling point again, add the cavolo nero.

- Set your timer for just under the recommended cooking time on your packet of pasta, though start checking before that, and get on with the sauce. I use something called a stir-fry pan for this, which looks like a large wok, really. You need a pan that’s big enough to take all the ingredients later, and with room to toss the pasta comfortably. Melt the butter gently in your pan of choice, and then, over low to medium heat, add the soft, squidgy, spicy ’nduja and stir it into the butter to make a sauce.

- When the pasta’s nearly ready, scoop out a cupful of pasta cooking water, and then add about 3–4 tablespoons to the buttery ’nduja, and stir it in.

- Then, once the pasta is done and the cavolo nero soft, drain both and tip into the ’nduja pan. It doesn’t matter if the pappardelle and greens are wet; you will just have to add less water later.

- Turn everything together carefully, as your pan will be very full indeed, and add more of the pasta-cooking water as needed to help emulsify the sauce.

 - Pour over the extra-virgin olive oil, and toss again, adding more if wished, and serve immediately. Bring the bottle to the table, to pour, greenly and greedily, over your pasta as you eat.