Cacio e pepe with fritto misto and stuffed courgette flowers
Enjoy an Italian extravaganza with a selection of fried antipasti alongside the classic pasta dish, cacio e pepe.
Ingredients
For the cacio e pepe
- 150g/5½oz bucatini pasta
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 30g/1oz pecorino, grated
- 30g/1oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
For the stuffed courgette flowers
- oil, for deep frying
- 250g/9oz baby spinach
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú ricotta
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú Parmesan, grated
- 4 courgette flowers
- 330ml bottle lager
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
For the fritto misto
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 8 raw king prawns, heads removed, shells removed, de-veined
- ¼ butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- lemon wedges, to serve
- 4 sage leaves, fried
For the tomato sauce
- 6 ripe san marzano tomatoes, left whole
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves
- salt and black pepper
Method
To make the cacio e pepe, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions or until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, toast the peppercorns in a frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind well.
Return the saucepan to a medium heat along with the cooked pasta, butter, cheese and black pepper and toss together. Add some of the pasta water to emulsify and stir again, then serve with more cheese.
To make the courgette flowers, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Dry fry the spinach in a frying pan over a medium heat until wilted. Squeeze dry and chop well. Set aside to cool.
Drain and hang the ricotta in a clean muslin over a colander, removing as much moisture as you can. Once drained, place in a bowl and mix with the Parmesan and the chopped spinach. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag then pipe some into each courgette flower. Set aside.
Mix together the beer, both flours, baking powder and pinch of salt in a bowl. Dust the stuffed flowers first in a little flour and then dip into the batter. Deep-fry until golden. This takes around 2–3 minutes.
To make the fritto misto, coat the fennel, prawns, squash and red onion in the remaining batter and deep-fry for 3–4 minutes until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper before serving. Serve with the lemon wedges.
To make the tomato sauce, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Roast all the ingredients together on a baking tray until the tomatoes are blistered. Remove and use a food processor or stick blender to blend into a purée.
Serve the tomato sauce with the flowers, on one plate. Pasta in a separate bowl and the fritto misto served separately with the fried sage leaves.