Collapsing courgette, pine nut and lemon linguine

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil – plenty of it

A handful of pine nuts, about 30g

1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 courgettes (around 450g), sliced into 3-4mm rounds

170g linguine, or other long pasta shape like spaghetti, tagliatelle or bucatini

60g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp butter

Zest of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve

A handful of fresh basil leaves

METHOD

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden and smelling nutty, shaking the pan often so that they don’t burn. Remove from the pan and set aside. TIP: they also toast well in an air fryer at 200C for 3-5 minutes.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil followed by the sliced garlic and fennel seeds, if using. Cook gently for about a minute until fragrant and just beginning to colour.

Add the courgettes along with a good glug of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Toss well so that every slice is coated in the oil, then cook over a medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the courgettes to soften into a jammy, tender texture – soft enough to melt into the sauce, but still holding their shape. Stir through the toasted pine nuts so they get coated in all that garlicky oil and soften slightly in the pan.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for about 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving at least 300ml of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the courgettes along with the butter and a generous splash of the pasta water. Toss until the butter has melted, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the parmesan a handful at a time, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta water little by little until you have a glossy, emulsified sauce coating every strand of pasta. If needed, add a final drizzle of olive oil to loosen and enrich the sauce.

Grate in the lemon zest and fold it through with the basil leaves, toasted pine nuts and several twists of black pepper. Check for seasoning.

Divide between bowls and finish with more parmesan, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and an extra crack of black pepper.

Recipe credit: Hannah Wilding