Heat waves are all about eating simple, ligh dishes, if eating at all. Last night, I put summer’s full and fresh flavours – artichokes, grilled peppers, buffalo mozzarella, basil and cherry tomatoes – in one easy pasta dish that reminded me of my Puglia trip. (Orechiette are originally from Italy’s heel.)
Ingredients (for 2)
– the heart of an artichoke (I boiled a fresh artichoke in lemon juice flavoured water until you can easily stick a knife in the heart. The leaves are perfect as an appetizer, served with a vinaigrette.)
– half a red pepper, grilled
– half a yellow sweet pepper, grilled
– a handful of cherry tomatoes, blanched and deseeded
– half of a round courgette, blanched (I let the pieces cook with the pasta for a couple of minutes)
– parmesan cheese
– buffalo mozzarella (you could replace the parmesan and mozzarella with feta cheese)
– fresh basil leaves
– salt and pepper
– 300 g orechiette (or any other pasta)
Cut up all the vegetables while your pasta is cooking, grate the parmesan cheese and tear apart the mozzarella. Drain the pasta and add the vegetables and parmesan so your pasta gets coated with the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mozzarella and basil. Done!
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