Pasta with courgettes and their flowers

Courgette flowers can be fried in a light tempura batter. They can be stuffed with various fillings and steamed and, in this manner, were once the height of fashion on restaurant menus. I have not fond memories of filling these delicate things with scallop mousse, poaching them and serving them on a beurre blanc sauce. What were we thinking? This idea is more rustic and much less pretentious.

Ingredients

4	Courgettes (Main)
12	Courgette flowers (Main)
1 knob	Butter
½	Onions, finely chopped
4	Bacon rashers, diced
2 Tbsp	Chives, finely chopped
1 to serve	Tagliatelle pasta
1 handful	Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Directions

1. Thinly slice 4 small courgettes.
2. Remove the stalk and stamen from about 12 courgette flowers and tear into strips.
3. Heat some butter in a pan and saute half a finely chopped onion.
4. Add bacon dice to the pan, cook for a few minutes until the bacon starts to colour. Add the sliced courgettes and the chives and cook for a few more minutes. The courgettes just need to soften. Season and keep warm.
5. Cook your favourite ribbon pasta in plenty of boiling water. Drain.
6. Just before serving add the flower strips to the sauce and let them wilt.
7. Toss in the pasta, add some finely grated parmesan and serve immediately. A tip that I learnt in Italy was to always add the pasta to the sauce, not vice versa. Also, it helps to integrate the two if you mix a little of the pasta water to the sauce just before combining.