raw pasta alla checca

The crazy shenanigans have returned! After weeks of feeling a little discombobulated being out of the kitchen, the planets aligned and I was effortlessly able to get back in the kitchen and whip up a new, easy and totally delicious dinner tonight that I couldn’t have planned better.

I had local tomatoes and basil left over from my CSA delivery last week, I randomly bought a few zucchini at the farmers market after work, and I fed a desperate craving for olives on my way to the gym – there just happens to be a gourmet Italian deli across the road so I bought a large tub of the most amazing housemade, marinated olives ever.

I got home and had an urge to explore Mimi Kirk’s new book, Live Raw that I bough a while ago (I got one for me and one for mum – her first raw cookbook and Mimi signed them! She will sign yours too if you buy through her website) I looked in the appendix for a pasta dish. There was one. I looked at the recipe and the only ingredients it has in it were the ones I happened to have on hand! The only thing I didn’t have was capers and that’s fine with me because I would have left them out anyway, I have no time for capers. Ooops, and I didn’t make the cashew nut parmesan cheese but I don’t think it needs it.

Fan-bloody-tastic as some Australians might say ;)

Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchini
• 4-5 tomatoes, seeded and diced – I didn’t read the seeded part so mine was juicy but loved it!
• 1 clove garlic, minced – I used two, I love garlic
• 1/2 cup raw olives, coarsley chopped – I used marinated ones, yum!
• 2 tbls capers – no comment
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
• 20 fresh basil leaves

Instructions (abbreviated):

Peel zucchini or leave skin on. Spiralize zucchini into noodles or peel into fettucini-like strips. Mix with a pinch of salt and let sit for 15-30 minutes.

Combine tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, olive oil, salt and pepper, reserving the basil. Let mixture rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to meld seasonings.

Using a paper or kitchen towel, gently squeeze pasta to extract all the liquid. Place in large mixing bowl. Put half the checca into the bowl along with 3/4 of the basil and gently toss.

– I just threw it all in a bowl in what I’m calling a rustic Italian fashion… but Mimi suggests the following:

‘Use individual molds to stack the pasta high on the plates (I use an empty can with born sides removed) or divide into bowls. Top with the balance of checca mixture and top with chopped tomatoes. Belissima!’