Positano Pasta
with Courgettes, Mozzarella and Smoked Pancetta
Head Chef Patrick just got back from (what he is calling) a ‘cooking reconnaissance mission’. This time we were told it was ‘absolutely necessary’ that he carry out some research in Positano on the Amalfi coast and we’ve gotta’ say the results are looking promising so far. This dish is a simple, yet utterly delicious local favourite made with mozzarella cheese from the region. We sourced the best mozzarella we could find so that you could faithfully recreate it in the comfort of your kitchen. Buon appetito!
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
2
Courgette
(May contain Celery)
440
Fusilli
(Contains Cereals containing gluten May contain Soya)
½
Bacon Lardons
3
Garlic Clove
2
Mozzarella
(Contains Milk)
1
Basil
4
Pecorino Cheese
(Contains Milk)
Nutritional information
Utensils
Instructions
Boil a large pot of water for your pasta with ¼ tsp of salt. Chop the very top and bottom from the courgette. Slice in half lengthways and then slice each half lengthways into 4 strips. Chop the courgette into little chunks (1cm ideally).
Once the water is rapidly boiling add the pasta. Cook the pasta until ‘al dente’ (roughly 9 mins). Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a hint of firmness left in the middle.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a non stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Once hot add the pancetta and cook until it is a little bit crispy around the edges. Remove and keep to the side but do not wash the pan.
Using the same pan on medium heat add the courgettes and cook them while you move to step 5. Season with ½ tsp of salt and a few good grinds of black pepper.
Peel the garlic cloves and place them under the flat side of your knife on the work surface. Give the flat of your knife a little whack with the heel of your hand to lightly crush the garlic. Add the garlic to the courgettes and continue to cook for another few mins. Tip: The courgettes need to be cooked for around 4 mins in total to keep their crunch.
Add the pancetta back into the pan. Add 6 tbsp of the pasta water to the pan and bring it up to a rapid bubble before turning off the heat.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Tear up the mozzarella into teaspoon sized pieces and toss it into the pasta. Tear up the basil leaves and add this at the last second together with the pecorino.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a few good grinds of black pepper.
