Spinach pici pasta

Step 1/ 4

• 1 clove garlic
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 150 g baby spinach
• 230 g flour
• 1 pinch salt

• knife
• cutting board
• blender

Chop garlic and halve cherry tomatoes. Add baby spinach, flour, and pinch of salt to a stand mixer. Continue on high speed until everything is well combined and has come together as a dough. The dough should not be sticky and should feel well kneaded, so add a little more flour if needed. Remove the dough from the mixer and form into a ball.

Step 2/ 4

• flour (for dusting)

• bench scraper
• plate

To shape the pasta, cut off about 2 cm/3/4 in balls in size from the dough mixture. Then, with lightly floured hands, roll out on a clean work surface into long, thin logs. These may be of different lengths, but should be slightly less than 0.5cm/0.2in in diameter. Continue with remaining dough. Place the finished pasta on a lightly floured plate.

Step 3/ 4

• 20 g sunflower seeds
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• salt

• pot (large)
• frying pan
• cooking spoon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a dry pan, toast sunflower seeds over medium-high heat, tossing often, until slightly browned. Remove and set aside. Add olive oil to the used pan and heat. Add garlic and chili flakes, sauté briefly until fragrant, about 1 – 2 min. Now add cherry tomatoes and continue sauté for about 2 min.

Step 4/ 4

• 120 ml pasta water
• salt
• pepper
• Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
• lemon zest (for garnish)

• ladle
• fine grater

Once the water boils, add the pasta to the pot and cook until it floats to the surface, about 1 – 2 min. Remove cooked pasta from the water with a slotted spoon and add to the pan along with a ladleful of pasta water. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, some fresh lemon zest and toasted sunflower seeds. Enjoy!

Enjoy your meal!