Charred courgette rigatoni in a lemon and mint butter sauce
With minimal cooking indoors and a little cooking outdoors, try this marinated and charred courgette pasta dish with a fresh and fragrant lemon and mint compound butter. Much like fettuccine alfredo that was traditionally made by emulsifying butter, pasta water and cheese together to serve, this compound butter makes an instant sauce, which is topped with sharp and crunchy fried capers.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 400g of rigatoni pasta
- 2 tbsp of capers, drained
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
LEMON & MINT BUTTER
- 250g of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 lemons, zested, and 1 juiced
- 1/2 bunch of mint, picked and leaves finely chopped, plus extra small leaves, to serve
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
COURGETTES
- 2 large green courgettes, sliced 1cm thick
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 lemon, juiced
Equipment
- Charcoal barbecue or grill
Method
For the lemon and mint butter, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl with a pinch of salt until combined
- 250g of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 lemons, zested, and 1 juiced
- 1/2 bunch of mint, picked and leaves finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
Place the courgettes in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine and set aside
- 2 large green courgettes, sliced 1cm thick
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 lemon, juiced
Set up a barbecue for direct grilling. Grill the courgettes until you’ve achieved bar marks all over – about 2-3 minutes each side – then remove and chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente. Drain and reserve a cup of pasta water
- 400g of rigatoni pasta
Meanwhile, fry the capers in the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until they open slightly and become crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to drain the excess oil
- 2 tbsp of capers, drained
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
Toss the hot pasta together with the butter and a splash of reserved pasta water (you can add less butter if you like, but include at least 100g of it). Stir until the butter emulsifies into a sauce, and then fold through the charred courgettes
Divide the pasta between bowls and finish with the fried capers, Parmesan, mint leaves, a pinch of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil
- Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
- small mint leaves, to serve
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