Surely the gastronomic scandal of the year… 

Pasta with courgettes, scapece style

Yes, Nigella puts wine (or vermouth) and cream in her carbonara. Mamma mia!

Chez Rowe, being traditionalists, when it comes to pasta we do it the way the Italians do it – and as luck would have it, Trota recently stumbled upon a copy of Gino D’Acampo’s book Gino’s Pasta. Chez Rowe we like Gino’s recipes and, let’s face it, the guy knows a thing or two about Italian food. His recipes are tasty and the ingredient combinations simply work. That’s what proper catering school does for you, we reckon.

But enough about Gino for now, let’s get down to business. For two people you will need: 200g of your preferred pasta (fusilli or penne are suitable), olive oil, 2 small courgettes, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 garlic clove peeled and grated, 10 fresh mint leaves, 50g feta cheese crumbled in small pieces.

Cook the pasta until al dente, rinse in cold water to stop it cooking, drain well, drizzle with olive oil and set aside until you are ready with the sauce. Give it a shake every so often to stop it sticking.

Meanwhile, wash the courgettes, cut them lengthways and slice into 1/2cm-thick semicircles. In a large frying pan heat a couple of tbsp olive oil, add the courgettes and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or so. Add the balsamic vinegar and garlic, mix well and cook for another minute or two.

Chop the mint leaves and scatter over the courgettes, season, mix well and set aside to cool. Yes, this is a cold pasta dish: one that you can pre-prepare and serve at a dinner party. Perfect for a nice summer evening.

Now, mix the pasta and the sauce well so that the flavours combine. Transfer to a stylish serving dish and scatter the crumbled feta on top.

So there it is: a truly delicious Italian classic, and a favourite chez Rowe; we could have it every day (and actually have done recently, reminds Salmon). Thanks, Gino – fantastico!