Pesto is a perfect thing. It’s sharp and cheesy, but fresh and vibrant at the same time. Combined with a creamy sauce, it’s one of the most comforting pasta dishes out there, and perfect for this dreary weather.
It’s best served with orecchiette pasta or ‘little ears’, which act as tiny bowls for the sauce. I made my own orecchiette from scratch, opting for a bright green dough, using semolina mixed with some pureed cavalo nero (better known as Tuscan kale) from the local market. If you have the time and patience, I would recommend making your own pasta. For me, the process is therapeutic, and it has the added benefit of being very cheap. Of course, we don’t all have an extra hour or three to spare, so store-bought pasta is completely acceptable. Technically, any shape will do, as long as it can soak up all the sauce! I love this dish, but perhaps it’s not one to serve to guests due to the amount of green bits it will leave stuck in your teeth (which no one pointed out to me before I left the house).
Ingredients
- Orecchiette pasta (homemade or packet pasta)
- Half a bunch of cavalo nero (Tuscan kale)
- 2–3 zucchinis
- 1 bunch of basil (roughly 30–50g)
- 1 garlic clove
- A handful of pine nuts
- Grated parmesan (about 30g)
- Grated pecorino (about 15g)
- A healthy amount of extra virgin olive oil
- 1x ball of burrata (you can get this in most supermarkets. It’s near the mozzarella)
Method
- Slice the zucchini into small rounds, drizzle some olive oil and season, then roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden.
- Meanwhile, strip your cavalo nero leaves from the stem and blanch in boiling water for roughly 60 seconds, before bathing them in ice cold water for a minute or two (this will preserve that gorgeous, vibrant green colour).
- Using a blender, blitz the leaves into a puree, adding water as needed.
- Set aside the puree and wash out your blender, ready the pesto.
- Blitz your pine nuts and garlic, adding a pinch of salt (you can also use a mortar and pestle for this).
- Add as much of the basil as will fit (this may take a few goes) and blitz in the blender until chunky.
- Add your oil and mix it through with a spoon, then your grated cheeses.
- Adjust the pesto mixture as needed by adding cheese, salt or more basil.
- Boil your pasta. It’s always best to remove it one minute before the packet says it’s ready (but remember to save your pasta water).
- In a fry pan or a pot, gently heat your pesto.
- Colour the mixture by adding your kale puree, then a little pasta water to loosen it up.
- Add your pasta to the mix, and stir it through, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the hot sauce.
- Finally, add your zucchini and top with some fresh burrata, pine nuts and basil sprigs.
