Bucatini with zucchini, olives, and lemon by Silvia Colloca

Silvia’s Italian Masterclass Season 2, Episode 7

1. Start by roughly chopping your zucchini’s. Heat 2x tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add in your garlic cloves and bash with the back of a knife (skin included) and cook until fragrant. Add in your zucchini and a pinch of salt. Pan fry for 5-6 minutes or until golden.
2. Once the zucchini is cooked, remove from the heat, discard the garlic and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop in 500 g pasta and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (generally 1 minute less than the cooking time recommended on the packet).
4. Roughly chop your pitted olives and set aside.
5. When the pasta is ready, return the frypan with the zucchini to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer the pasta straight to the frypan, dragging a little of the cooking water with it, then toss well to combine with the oil and zucchini. Add a ladle of the cooking pasta water.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the pecorino. Stir vigorously to allow the residual heat from the pan to melt the cheese and create a luscious sauce.
7. Add the chopped olives and stir through. Divide among bowls and serve immediately with a good grinding of fresh black pepper, lemon zest and drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves.

Recipe by @silviacollocaofficial, @silviasitalianmasterclass.