Pasta Pesto Pecorino & Pistache

1. Pecorino crisps: make small piles of grated pecorino on parchment paper and bake them for approx. 5 minutes in a frying pan over low heat. Bake until the cheese has melted and starts to brown slightly. Set aside and leave to cool.
2. Tomatoes: cut the tomatoes in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in an oven dish under the grill or in the oven at 200 degrees. Roast until crispy and cooked through.
3. Pistachio crumble: shell the pistachios and chop them coarsely with a knife or flatten them with the bottom of a saucepan. Roast briefly in a dry pan over medium heat.
4. Pine nuts: roast separately in a little olive oil until golden brown. Allow to cool and set aside.
5. Courgette: cut ribbons with a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer. The first ribbon is just skin; do not use it. Slice down to the seeds and then turn a quarter turn. This way you can slice around the seeds, which you can save for vegetable soup, for example. Fry the ribbons briefly on both sides over low heat in a dash of olive oil. Do not let them brown; they should still have a bite to them. Al dente, so to speak.
6. Cooking the pasta: the pasta should also be al dente, of course. Cook it in plenty of salted water (1 teaspoon of salt). Save some of the cooking water for later. We will use this to thicken the sauce.
7. Combine: mix the pesto into the sauce. You can do this by feel and to taste. For two people, this is about half a jar. Now add a dash of cooking liquid to make a nice smooth sauce. Stir in the courgette ribbons. Save a few for garnish.
8. Serving: Preheat the plates in a pan of boiling water or in the oven at 80 degrees. Spoon the pasta onto the plates and top with a few more ribbons. Scatter some of the roasted tomatoes over the pasta. Sprinkle the pistachio crumble and pine nuts over and around the pasta. Finally, add some fresh basil to the pasta and, of course, your beautiful pecorino crisps. It looks nice to stick them upright in the pasta to give your dish some depth.

Buon appetito!

Wine recommendation: fresh Italian white wine, such as Gavi or Verdicchio.