Orzo with Courgettes, Broad Beans & Lemon Ricotta (v)
We arrived back in France a few days ago. Opening the shutters, letting in the light and airing the place out is my favourite job when I get here; letting the warmth of the sun in to the house. You can almost hear the walls breathe, as they soak up the warmth of the sun. It takes at least a week for the thick stone walls to warm up and the place to air. Once the dust has settled we start our mammoth clean up, getting the house to a habitable standard again. Only then, can my thoughts move on to cooking and creating dishes in our French kitchen.
This is my first recipe created in France since September 2020, when we closed up the house and headed home. We hadn’t realised at the time it would be so long until we saw her again. We are so happy and fortunate to back. As the days are getting lighter and longer now that summer is here, we crave simple, lighter food. The summer makes my taste buds tingle for fresh, seasonal dishes that can be eaten outside.
Of course the French do seasonal produce well not having everything so readily available makes you focus more on creating seasonal dishes. This morning, I found some beautiful fresh broad beans, courgettes and ricotta cheese at our local market. There’s a simple delight in podding beans from the pod; the furry warm home for the bean whilst growing. The popping sound made when the beans are released from the pod fills me with delight and brings back memories of picking peas and popping them from their shells.
Although this pasta dish is filling, it’s much lighter than a usual pasta dish. The tiny orzo pieces and fresh courgettes and broad beans with ricotta, helps to create a creamy lighter bowl of food with the citrusy freshness from the herbs and lemon zest.
It’s a simple but filling dish that’s delicious hot or cold and so simple to rustle up. Perfect served alfresco in the sunshine with a glass of cold Crémant to hand.
Happy Cooking — N x
Ingredients
Serves: 4 | Prep: 15m | Cooking: 25m
4 medium courgettes
100g podded fresh or frozen broad beans
1 lemon, zest and juice
250g ricotta cheese
50g parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese grated
2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil, extra for drizzle
3 spring onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh of chopped fresh basil, parsley and lemon thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, crushed
30g pine nuts, toasted
300g dried orzo pasta
1/4 tsp sea salt
Good grind of black pepper
1/2 cup pasta water
Method
Slice the courgettes length ways about the thickness of a pound coin. Pop them into a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Chargrill the courgette pieces, once cooked pop back into the bowl for later.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt generously and add the broad beans. Blanch them for 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Pop them into a bowl of cold water to cool down. Once cooled remove the tougher outer skin from the beans.
Add the orzo pasta to the pan of boiling water. Cook for 7/8 minutes until softened but you still want a bite, al dente. Drain the orzo reserving half a cup of pasta water.
While the orzo is boiling in a frying pan add 1 tbsp olive oil, add the spring onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes on a low heat.
Then add the cooked courgettes, broad beans, orzo, ricotta cheese and pasta water. Add the lemon juice, zest, fresh herbs and seasoning to taste. Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan, and toasted pine nuts and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with a cold glass of Crémant and enjoy eating outside in the sunshine.
Enjoy — N X
