Jono & Jules do food & wine

We make an easy pasta dish about once a week and it’s one of the best days of the week.

Wine Suggestion: we think this goes great with Ribolla Gialla, a grape native to the north-east of Italy and Slovenia that can be made in a few styles. We prefer the ones that feature joyful primary fruits with a hint of nutty minerality like the one made by Perusini in Friuli. Light bodied and fruity-floral we think the best are super attractive and we’re surprised we don’t see more around.

Lemon & Spinach Linguine – serves 2

• 100g spinach, remove any thick stalks but don’t be too fussy
• 1 large lemon, zested
• 250g linguine
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 40g Parmesan, grated

Get a bowl of iced water ready.

Wash the spinach, then put the wet leaves into a shallow pan over a medium-high heat, cover tightly and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the spinach over with a wooden spoon, then cover again and cook for 2 minutes.

Use tongs to lift the spinach and drop it into the iced water. As soon as it is cold, squeeze out as much water as possible, then roughly chop.

Cook the linguine in lots of very salty water for whatever time the packet says.

Lightly crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife, without peeling it.

Warm the butter, squashed garlic, and olive oil in a shallow pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, then remove and discard the garlic clove. Add the lemon zest and spinach to the pan.

Drain the pasta and toss in the warm butter. Squeeze some lemon juice over and sprinkle with Parmesan.

(Original recipe by Nigel Slater in the Guardian)