Pasta with Collard Greens and Almond-Olive Relish
 
 
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
Almond-olive relish:
  • ¼ cup Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped (see notes*)
  • ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pasta:
  • 5 ounces pappardelle
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ pound collard greens, ribs removed and leaves cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into ½"-thick pieces
  • ½ cup white wine (optional, see notes**)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup ricotta
Instructions
Make the relish:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine all the relish ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the pasta:
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1½ cups cooking liquid.
  2. In a large fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add collard greens, wine and ½ cup reserved cooking liquid. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
  5. Add cooked pasta to the fry pan and toss to combine. Add additional reserved cooking liquid if pasta seems dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve immediately with ricotta and almond-olive relish.
Notes
*To toast raw almonds, cook them in a fry pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool and then chop.
**You can replace the wine with reserved cooking liquid.
Recipe by Two of a Kind at http://www.twoofakindcooks.com/pasta-with-collard-greens-and-almond-olive-relish/