Amalfi Coast Courgette Spaghetti

Amalfi Coast Courgette Spaghetti

I first had this on the Amalfi Coast when I wrote my Capri cookbook in a beautiful seaside restaurant in Nerano called Maria Grazia. A proper seaside pasta!

Ingredients:

200g spaghetti
60g Grana Padano, grated
2 tsp butter
4 garlic cloves, diced
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
zest of half a lemon and 1 tbsp juice
2 courgettes thinly sliced (600g)
80ml starchy pasta water
salt and pepper

Set a large frying pan to medium to high heat and add two spoons of olive oil. Add enough of the courgette slices to cover the bottom of the pan and fry for 2mins on one side before turning them over. They should be nice and golden on all sides. Scrape onto a plate and continue frying in batches until all are fried. It will take about 15 mins.

Set a large saucepan of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente or so it still holds a little bite. Towards the end of cooking, fish out some of the pasta water.

Set a large frying pan to medium heat and add two spoons of olive oil, butter and then garlic. Cook for 1 min and then use tongs to fish out the pasta straight into the frying pan. Toss together with the garlic and then add the 3/4s of the grated cheese, courgettes, lemon zest and juice and some pasta water.

Season generously with pepper and some salt. Toss together and allow the pasta to cook for 30 secs on the hob. The sauce should thicken and the cheese should melt. Add more pasta water if needed. Serves straight away with more cheese and pepper.

Find more of my favourite pasta recipes perfect for summer dishes.