Bring around 3l of water with 4 tablespoons (56g) of salt to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the stems from the kohlrabi, trim the bulb and any tougher parts of the skin around the root, then cut it into 1cm dices. Strip the leaves off the stems and thickly slice the stems. Add the kohlrabi and stems to the pan, return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Roughly slice the leaves and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow casserole or frying pan. Peel and very roughly chop the garlic cloves and sauté in the oil until they begin to turn golden.

Add the passata, sugar, basil (the whole sprigs with leaves attached), chilli flakes and remaining ¾ tablespoon (10g) of salt and cook over medium-high heat to thicken the sauce while the kohlrabi cooks.

When the kohlrabi is ready, add the leaves and blanch them until just wilted (30 seconds). Discard the basil from the sauce, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked kohlrabi, stems and leaves to the sauce as well. No need to stir everything together yet, just turn off the heat of the casserole/frying pan. That way, you’ll retain the leaves’ vibrant colour.

Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than instructed on the packaging. Then use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce and stir well to mix evenly. Turn on the heat again, taste for seasoning and either add another ladle of the pasta water (to season it more) or some plain water and finish cooking the pasta for another minute. You should be left with a sauce that beautifully coats all of the pasta, otherwise loosen it with a bit more water or cook it a little longer.

To serve, divide over plates and drizzle with a generous glug of olive oil.