Pasta with zucchini flowers pesto, shrimps and stracciatella cheese

• 15 minutes to prepare • 20 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

"Ogliu sentu musica intra l'aria"

Stracciatella di Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. 

It is a typical product of Murgia in the Apulian region. It is produced from Italian buffalo's milk, rennet, and cream. Burrata was probably first made around 1920 but may have origins dating back to about 1900 on the Bianchini farm in the city of Andria within Murgia. It is generally believed that the factories found making it to be a useful way to use up the ritagli ("scraps" or "rags") of mozzarella.

This precious ingredient inspired me today's recipe.
A captivating pasta dish in which cheese and crustacean are allied to intensify zucchini flowers' delicate taste.

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Calamarata pasta
400 g shrimps
20 zucchini flowers
1 shallot
30 g pine nuts
200 g stracciatella cheese
1 sprig parsley
EVO oil
salt and pepper

 

1. Toast  pine nuts and place them in a blender
2. Braise chopped shallot with a little oil and salt;  wash, clean, chop zucchini flowers and add them, too
3. Cook gently perfuming with a pinch of pepper  
4. Blend the mixture of zucchini flowers with the pine nuts, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of chopped parsley and a few grains of salt to get a pesto
5. Shell the shrimps, remove the head and intestines and brown for a few minutes in an oiled pan 
6. Boil pasta in salted water and drain al dente 
   
7. Pan-fry for a few moments the pasta with the pesto and shrimps
8. Serve hot with a spoon of stracciatella cheese on top and freshly ground pepper 

Finally, you find below Nutrition Facts of this dish. Data is provided per serving.

Get ready for some grand taste symphony!