Chard with Anchovies, Olives, and Tomato

Rustic pasta with Swiss chard, anchovies, and crushed tomatoes, finished with olives, butter, and grated cheese for a savory, briny, silky sauce. Serves two.

Uh-oh! We're unable to calculate nutrition for this recipe because some ingredients aren't recognized.

Step 1

Fill a large pot (at least 6 quarts/L) with 1 gallon (4 L) of water; add 4 tablespoons (40 g) kosher salt, cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil while you make your sauce. If the water begins to boil before your sauce is ready, turn down the heat, but don’t let the volume of the pasta water reduce by boiling off.

Step 2

Cut the thick rib out of each chard leaf, rinse the ribs, then slice them crosswise into 1/4-inch (6 mm) pieces. Stack the leaves, roll them into a loose cylinder, and slice across into 1-inch (2.5 cm) ribbons. Rinse and drain the ribbons.

Step 3

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, chard stems, and jalapeño rings (if using) and cook gently until the garlic is nicely toasted and fragrant but not too brown, breaking it up a bit with your spatula, and the chard stems and jalapeño are starting to get soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 4

Add the anchovies and chile flakes and keep cooking until the anchovies have melted into the oil.

Step 5

Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices and the chard leaves. Adjust the heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until the chard is just barely tender and the tomatoes have thickened a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the olives and slide the skillet off the heat.

Step 6

Bring the pasta water (back) to a boil, add the noodles, and set your timer for 2 minutes less than the shortest suggested cooking time on the package of pasta; this will ideally be 2 minutes before the pasta is al dente. Stir the noodles several times during the first 2 minutes of cooking to prevent them from sticking to the pot or otherwise clumping together.

Step 7

When the timer goes off, start tasting the noodles. When they seem like they are 1 1/2 to 2 minutes away from a perfect al dente, drain and transfer them to the sauce in the skillet using your preferred method, making sure to reserve at least 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water.

Step 8

Slide the skillet back onto medium heat and finish cooking the noodles, tossing and adding plenty of splashes of pasta water until the noodles are perfectly al dente, the chard is tender, and the sauce is nicely juicy. If the sauce seems watery, simmer for another few seconds to tighten it up, bearing in mind that the cheese will thicken it.

Step 9

Reduce the heat to very low. Add the butter and grated cheese and toss to emulsify them with the other sauce ingredients, adding splashes of pasta water (or plain hot water, if things are getting too salty) if needed to keep the consistency creamy and prevent the cheese from clumping. Taste and add more salt or chile flakes if you like.

Step 10

Divide the pasta between two warm bowls, drizzle with finishing-quality olive oil (if using), and serve right away, with more cheese to add at the table.