Tagliolini with Trombetta Courgette and Basil

La storia di questo piatto

In Liguria, where the sea and the garden lean against each other, the trombetta courgette of Albenga is a quiet pride of the Riviera: pale green, long and curved, tender as a secret. This dish gathers it with Ligurian basil, fragrant olive oil and fresh egg tagliolini into a gentle bowl of summer, a home cook's tribute to the season rather than an ancient rite.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Fresh egg tagliolini
• 600 g Trombetta courgettes from Albenga
• 30 g Fresh Ligurian basil
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil PDO Liguria
• 60 g Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 34 g Coarse sea salt (30 g for the cooking water, 4 g for the sauce)
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 100 ml Pasta cooking water

Preparazione

1. Rinse the trombetta courgettes under cold running water and cut them into cubes of about 1 cm: they don't need to be perfect. Peel the garlic and lightly crush it with the flat of your hand, so it releases its fragrance without turning bitter.
2. Pour the oil into a wide pan and heat over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes fragrant and just barely golden. Remove and discard it (or leave it in the sauce if you prefer a stronger flavour): if it darkens it will taste bitter.
3. Add the courgettes to the pan with 4 g of salt and a splash of water. Cook over medium-low heat with the lid partly covering the pan for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, without letting them colour: the courgettes should soften, release their juices and reduce to a delicate cream.
4. When the sauce is nearly ready, bring 3 litres of water to the boil and salt it with 30 g of coarse sea salt: it should taste of the sea. Drop in the fresh tagliolini and cook for 1-2 minutes, draining them very al dente, and reserve a ladle of the cooking water.
5. Turn off the heat under the courgettes, taste and adjust with pepper and, if needed, a pinch of salt. Tear half of the basil by hand, without chopping it with a knife, which would blacken it.
6. Transfer the tagliolini into the pan with the sauce, add about 100 ml of cooking water (more only if needed) and half of the Parmigiano. Toss over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring, then turn off the heat and add the torn basil.
7. Plate and finish with the remaining grated Parmigiano, the rest of the basil leaves torn by hand and a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately, piping hot.