- 250g fresh or dried tagliatelle
- 2 courgettes, cut into long strips
- For the pesto:
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 150g basil leaves
- 75g pine nuts, preferably Mediterranean
- 100g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tagliatelle with Pesto and Courgettes
Theo Randall
12th July 2018
Tagliatelle with Pesto and Courgettes
Pesto is very easy to make and brings out the best of fresh basil. It works perfectly with courgettes, and together they make the tagliatelle juicy and flavoursome. This recipe is from our menu at The Intercontental London and serves 2 as a starter or for lunch.
Ingredients
Method
1. First make the pesto. In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to a smooth paste. Add the basil leaves and pound so the leaves turn to a pulp. Add the pine nuts and crush until smooth. Add 3 tablespoons water and emulsify, then add the Parmesan cheese. Finally,slowly work in the olive oil.
2. Cook the pasta with the courgettes in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes – the pasta should still have a bite.
3. Meanwhile, warm half of the pesto in a frying pan.
4. Using tongs, lift the pasta and courgettes from the water and add to the frying pan. Toss with the pesto and add 2–3 tablespoons of the pasta water to loosen the sauce so it coats the pasta strands.
5. Check the seasoning and serve with the remaining pesto on top.
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