Carrot and Tomato Linguine

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Rinse the carrots; trim, peel, and chop the carrots and shallot. Rinse and core the tomatoes; chop them into small pieces. Trim, peel, and chop enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon. Toast the pine nuts in a dry large skillet over medium heat, stirring often and watching them like a hawk, until they’re golden brown, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate; set aside. Wipe out the pan.

Put 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the shallots and a pinch each of salt and pepper, and cook until the shallots start to soften, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, oregano, a pinch of the chile flakes, and another few pinches of salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the 1/4 cup white wine or water to the carrot mixture, stir, and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and tomatoes and stir. Cover the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until the carrots are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans; set aside. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and stir occasionally. Start tasting it after 7 minutes; it should be tender but not mushy. When the pasta is done, drain it.

Rinse the kale; strip the leaves from the stems and chop them into large pieces. Rinse and trim the chives and basil; chop the chives; strip the basil leaves from the stems and chop them. Stir the kale into the carrot mixture, turn the heat to medium, and cook until it’s wilted, about 1 minute. Add the pasta, beans, and capers and stir until they’re heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more chile flakes if you’d like. Drizzle the pasta with the remaining tablespoon oil and serve topped with pine nuts, chives, and basil.