It’s my favourite time of year in the garden…harvest time! The first greens are starting to mature and this simple pasta dish makes the most of their sweet delicious flavour. This quantity serves 2 generously, with a little leftover, but can easily be scaled up for the number you are catering for.
Ingredients:
For the pasta
- 250g pasta shapes such as fusilli, casarecce or farfalle
- 1 large courgette
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan or pecorino
- A small handful of fresh basil
To serve
- Seasonal greens such as kale, spinach, mangetout, fresh peas
- Parmesan or pecorino
Method:
- Start by putting a pan of water on to boil ready for the pasta
- Dice the courgette into small cubes, crush the garlic and add to a wide saucepan with a generous glug of olive oil. Fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, then put the lid on and turn the heat down so that the courgette starts to soften.
- Add the pasta to the pan and cook according to how al dente you like it.
- Once the courgettes have started to break down a little, add 2 tbsp grated parmesan, about 3 tbsp of the pasta cooking water, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Turn the heat up briefly and stir to combine the ingredients well.
- Drain the pasta and add it into the sauce, combine well and add the basil.
- Cook your seasonal greens either in a steamer above your pasta, or very briefly in a pan with just enough water to cover the bottom – don’t boil the vegetables! If they’re fresh and young they will be tender and sweet and will not need much cooking at all.
- Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and grate additional parmesan over the top, adding more black pepper to taste.