Beautiful pasta and broccoli salad with prosciutto and melon!
Jamie Oliver 2004Learn more about Jamie's new book, Jamie's Great Britain, on www.jamieoliver.com
Directions for: Broccoli Orecchiette, Courgette & Bocconcini Salad, Prosciutto & Melon Salad
Ingredients
Pasta125 g Parmesan cheese
1 large head of broccoli
200 g purple sprouting broccoli
1 30 g can of anchovies in oil
1 heaped tablespoon capers
1 small dried chilli
3 clove of garlic
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
500 g dried orecchiette
Courgette Salad3 large sprigs of fresh mint
a fresh red chilli
lemon
200 g baby courgettes, mixed colours
1 125 g tub of bocconcini di mozzarella (baby mozzarella balls)
Seasoningolive oil
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & black pepper
Prosciutto & Melon Salada small bunch of fresh basil
a lemon
2 115 g packs of prosciutto
1 cantaloupe melon
balsamic vinegar
PreparationDirections
Pasta Courgette Salad Seasoning Prosciutto & Melon Salad Preparation1. Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Put the fine grater attachment into the food processor. Fill and boil the kettle. Put a large frying pan on a low heat.
2. Trim the rind off your Parmesan and set aside. Grate the chunk of Parmesan in the food processor, then tip into a bowl. Slice all the florets off the stalk of the large head of broccoli. Trim off the florets from the purple sprouting broccoli and chop up just the tender stalks. Put all the broccoli to one side.
3. Fit the standard blade attachment to the processor. Halve the large broccoli stalk and put into the empty processor with the anchovies and their oil, and the drained capers. Crumble in the dried chilli. Peel and add the 3 cloves of garlic, then pulse it all to a paste. Pour the boiled water into a large deep saucepan and put on a high heat.
4. Put about 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the large frying pan and spoon in the broccoli paste. Stir, then pick and tear in some thyme leaves, discarding the woody stalks. Pour a wineglass of water into the pan and add the reserved Parmesan rind. Give it a good stir and turn the heat up to medium. Keep your eye on it, stirring every now and then. Half-fill the kettle and reboil.
5. Add the orecchiette to the saucepan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook according to packet instructions, with the lid askew. Now youve got about 12 minutes of pasta cooking time to make your 2 salads, so crack on!
6. Pick the mint leaves over a chopping board. Add a red chilli. Zest over the lemon, then chop the chilli and mint together until really fine. Spoon into the middle of a serving platter, drizzle over about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Add a pinch of salt & pepper, then taste and adjust the flavours if necessary. Speed-peel the courgettes into ribbons over this dressing. Drain the tub of baby mozzarella, then tip over the courgettes and take to the table to toss and dress at the last minute.
7. Give the pasta a stir and top up with more water from the kettle, if needed. After 5 minutes add all the reserved broccoli florets and the chopped purple sprouting broccoli stalks to the pasta with a splash of water from the kettle.
8. Pick the leaves from the basil, setting the smaller ones aside for later. Put the big leaves into a pestle & mortar with a pinch of salt and bash to a paste. Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus a good squeeze of lemon juice. Lay 12 slices of prosciutto on a platter, leaving a space in the middle. Halve the melon, spoon out the seeds, then use a spoon to quickly scoop chunks of flesh into themiddle of the platter. Drizzle over a little balsamic, then scatter over the reserved small basil leaves. Squeeze the juices from the melon halves into the dressing and stir in, then take the platter to the table, with the mortar and a spoon for drizzling over the dressing.
9. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water, and add to the frying pan of paste. Fish out the Parmesan rind and discard. Add a big handful or two of grated Parmesan and a ladle or two of the cooking water. Carefully and quickly stir around and keep it moving until you achieve shiny, loose, lovely pasta. Taste and correct the seasoning, then tip on to a serving platter and sprinkle over a handful of Parmesan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter over the rest of the small reserved basil leaves. Take to the table with the rest of the Parmesan for sprinkling over.
10. When everyone is ready to eat, use 2 forks to toss the courgette ribbons and baby mozzarella. Serve next to some of that lovely pasta and the prosciutto and melon salad.
See more: Pasta, Salad, Vegetables, Main, Lunch, Italian