Pasta with Tenerumi (Sicilian Pasta with Tender Pumpkin Greens)

La storia di questo piatto

In Sicilia, the green soul of the island lives in the tenerumi, the tender shoots and leaves of the long squash that climbs through summer gardens. This is a poor dish in the truest sense: a few humble things, tomato, garlic, olive oil, turned fragrant and generous.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Tenerumi (leaves and shoots of Sicilian long squash)
• 320 g Pasta (linguine or spaghetti)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 300 g Ripe tomatoes (diced, or peeled)
• 15 g Coarse sea salt (for the cooking water)
• 2 g Fine salt (to adjust the sauce at the end of tossing)
• 1 pinch Chili pepper (optional, pinch)
• 6 leaves Fresh basil (optional)
• 40 g Grated pecorino or cacio ragusano (optional, to finish)

Preparazione

1. Take the tenerumi and remove the stalks and tougher parts. Pull off the fibrous strings from the tender shoots, pulling them with your fingers as you would with green beans. Wash the leaves in several cold changes of water until no trace of soil remains at the bottom, then drain. Cut everything into 3-4 cm pieces. Meanwhile, set the 2.5 liters of water to heat in the large pot.
2. When the water is at a lively boil, add the coarse sea salt and immerse the tenerumi. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the shoots are completely tender and the leaves almost falling apart, as tradition dictates.
3. About 8 minutes after the tenerumi start cooking, prepare the sauce: in a wide pan, pour the oil and warm it gently with the garlic cut into thin slices. As soon as you smell its aroma rising, without letting it brown (or it turns bitter), add the diced tomatoes and the chili. Let it simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors come together.
4. Lift the tenerumi out with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and add them to the sauce in the pan. Stir gently over low heat for a couple of minutes, without breaking them up further. Keep the cooking water in the pot: it will be used for the pasta. Taste it: it is already salty, so don't add more salt for now. If you find it too green or bitter, you can replace half of it with warm fresh water.
5. Bring the water remaining in the pot back to a vigorous boil, add the pasta and drain it 2 minutes before the time indicated on the package (about 8-9 minutes for spaghetti or linguine that normally take 10-11 minutes): it will finish cooking in the sauce.
6. Drain the pasta with tongs or a colander, reserving a ladle of cooking water, and transfer it to the pan with the sauce and tenerumi. Add a little cooking water and toss vigorously for a couple of minutes until everything binds together and becomes creamy. Taste and adjust with fine salt only now, if needed. Finish with torn basil, a drizzle of raw olive oil and, if you like, grated pecorino, and serve immediately in warm plates.