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    Grana PadanoPasta

    Crudaiola with courgette pesto and Grana Padano

    Group 393

    Easy

    Group 382

    4 people

    T2

    20 min

    Chef Danilo Cortellini

    When temperatures rise, it is time to use raw dressings and sauces for your pasta dishes. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, the possibilities are endless.
    Depending on where you are in Italy, we have lots of different “pesto” sauces made with herbs, vegetables, nuts and cheeses and the beauty of those condiments is that they can be used to dress pasta, meats, fish or even just spread on a toasted slice of bread. Delicious!
    This courgette pesto works well in summer when the courgettes are not so watery or bitter and the richness of the Grana Padano cheese ensures a kick of umami flavour to the sauce.

    Ingredients

    • 360 g pasta of your choice
    • 500 g courgettes, small to medium size
    • 50 g fresh ricotta
    • 80 g grated Grana Padano
    • 20 g sun-dried tomatoes
    • 20 g taggiasca black olives (in olive oil)
    • 25 g skinned almonds
    • 50 g basil leaves
    • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • Basil leaves to garnish
    • Lemon zest to garnish
    • Grana Padano to top

    Preparation

    STEP 1

    Wash and dry the courgettes, then grate them finely. Season with salt and leave them in a sieve or on kitchen paper for 5 to 10 minutes to drain of the bitter water excess. Drain well and blitz together with the basil, almonds, ricotta, Grana Padano and olive oil. Do not add salt as you have already seasoned the courgettes. The result should be a grainy paste. Set aside.

    Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and the olives and keep ready to garnish the pasta.

    STEP 2

    Cook the pasta al dente in salted boiling water. When ready, toss it directly into a bowl with the pesto, add a splash of cooking water and a glug of olive oil and mix well away from the heat, to make sure the pasta is creamy and well coated with the sauce. Check the seasoning and plate straight away.

    STEP 3

    Top the pasta with the chopped tomatoes and olives and a few shavings of Grana Padano. Garnish with basil leaves, lemon zest and a few chopped almonds before you enjoy it.

    Chef’s tip

    Use smaller courgettes for this recipe, they have less seeds and water. If you want to change this recipe a little, you can also try it with mint instead of basil, equally delicious. The courgettes pesto keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge in a clean sealed jar.

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