Strozzapreti fresh pasta with zucchini flowers, bottarga and lime

• 10 minutes to prepare • 10 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

10 MINUTES 

Bottarga is often called the golden, sea-scented dust, and no denomination was never more appropriate.
It is made of eggs of tuna or mullet which are dried, salted and pressed, and it is characterised by a firm and unique flavour: the bottarga of mullet is more delicate, the bottarga of tuna has a more intense taste.

I personally adore its smell of sea, and a dish of pasta featuring bottarga has become one of my classic recipes when I go to abstinence from maritime holiday.
It is always present in my fridge, although not easy to be found: the most common variety is bottarga's powder, which is unfortunately the least valuable; the best way to taste it is to provide yourself with a whole bottarga fillet and shave it or grate it yourself...the difference is huge!

You can simply season your pasta with bottarga and some cherry tomatoes, but today I wanted to try this recipe, which I borrowed from Cucchiaio: bottarga with zucchini flowers and lime zest.
As usually on Tuesdays, we will be ready in 10 minutes!

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

400 g Strozzapreti fresh pasta
20 zucchini flowers
1 shallot
1 lime
1 sprig parsley
tuna bottarga
salt and pepper
EVO oil

1. Boil water in a pot, add salt and once started to bubble, pick up a ladle of water and keep aside
2. In a pan pour 4 tablespoons of EVO oil, add a finely chopped shallot with a pinch of salt and pan-fry for a couple of minutes
3. Wash, clean, chop zucchini flowers and add them, too
4. Cook gently perfuming with a pinch of pepper 
5. Boil Strozzapreti fresh pasta in salted water. Follow the time instructions reported on the package: usually fresh pasta is ready in about 5 minutes
   
6. Meanwhile, grate the lime zest, and wash, clean, chop the parsley
7. Drain pasta al dente and pour it into the pan with zucchini flowers. Add the the hot water (kept aside from the pasta) and cook over medium heat until well mixed
   
8. Take off the heat, add the lime zest, 1 tablespoon of bottarga and the chopped parsley. Toss to mix well for a few moments and serve immediately!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

Si vuliti viviri gustusu: ova di tunnu e carduni spinusi*

(Sicilian proverb)

*if you want to live tastefully: tuna eggs and thistles