Ingredients:

Half a packet of spaghetti 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped 

1 tin Fishwife Sardines with Hot Peppers 

1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped 

Parmesan cheese, to finish 

Salt and black pepper to season 

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add a small handful of salt. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until it’s just under al dente. 

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil, swirl to coat the pan, then add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes, shaking the pan every minute or so, until they are deeply blistered. You don’t want to cook the tomatoes till they collapse, but want to push them to the brink of not being able to contain their juicy insides. Lower the heat to medium low, and add the garlic and capers. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and soft, being careful not to burn. Add the sardines, alongside a tablespoon of the oil from the tin, and break them up into bite sized pieces. 

In the last minute of cooking your pasta, add the kale to the pot. Using a spider skimmer, transfer the cooked pasta and kale to the pan. Add a ladleful of pasta water to the pan, then use a spatula to aggressively stir the pasta as you use your other hand to move the pan back and forth. This motion of tossing and stirring helps to meld the starches in the pasta with the sauce. Season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and taste for seasoning. 

Serve with a cloud of grated parmesan.