Ingredients for 4 people
1 liter of vegetable broth
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400 g short pasta (e.g. penne, fusilli or ricciolini)
4 small zucchini, cut into small sticks
2 teaspoons cocoa nibs, roasted and crushed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper (my recommendation: Kampot Noir )
some peppercorns Siltimur
old Parmesan, coarsely grated
preparation
This dish involves cooking the pasta like risotto, with olive oil added to the pasta and then enough vegetable stock to just cover the pasta. Cook until the pasta is cooked to your desired consistency, adding more stock a little at a time. This type of cooking allows a light coating of starch to develop around the pasta, thickening the sauce and giving each piece of pasta a delicious, slippery feel.
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the chopped onion and garlic and fry for two minutes until fragrant. Now add the pasta and stir for another two minutes. Then, as with a risotto, add stock, but only enough to just cover the pasta. Continue cooking on a reduced heat for another ten minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.
After five minutes of cooking, add the zucchini. Season with salt. Grind black pepper and add.
Check whether the pasta is soft. If it is still too al dente, add a little more stock. When the pasta is right for your taste, roughly grind the Siltimur and add it to the dish. Also add the cocoa nibs.
Serve on plates sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
