Pesto, Olive and Caper pasta

Fragata Capers Capotestoneless hojiblanca olives

Easy to make, and guaranteed to impress, this light, zingy pasta dish is absolutely bursting with flavour - and it’s ready in just 15 minutes! Capers are a (not so well kept) secret in Mediterranean cooking, known for adding punch and delight to all kinds of dishes. Here, they add little hits of flavour and liven up a simple pasta dish. You can enjoy it with whatever pasta is the favourite in your house. The corkscrew shape of fusilli gives the pesto plenty of places to cling on to, whilst lengthy pastas, such a linguini, fettucini, and even the staple spaghetti, work really well too. For the pesto, you can use store-bought jars (it’s a great ingredient to keep in the cupboard for Mediterranean cooking). Or if you have the time, home-made pesto is quick and easy to make. You only need a few ingredients - pine nuts, basil, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves and olive oil. Once made, it keeps for around a week in the fridge or can even be frozen. Now there’s a reason to make a big batch! This recipe uses our classic Stoneless Hojiblanca Green Olives. They have the perfect firmness of bite to work here, adding texture as well as that unmistakable Hojiblanca olive flavour. You could experiment with adding marinated olives, such as those we marinate in olive oil, garlic and thyme. Although for a quick and easy recipe, the classic simplicity of the original olive is enough to add plenty of flavour. Olives are one of the most versatile ingredients around. It’s just another thing we love about them! The same goes for this dish. It’s so simple to make (taking just 15 minutes) that it’s perfect for a light lunch or as a quick evening meal. Yet it’s tasty enough to serve up to family and friends. If you did want to make it into a heartier dish, serve with grilled chicken or a side of bruschetta.

Ingredients

  • 120 g dried pasta
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 heaped tbsp of breadcrumbs (panko)
  • 1/4 tsp of chilli flakes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 red or green chilli
  • 1 tbsp of drained Fragata Capers
  • 80 g of Fragata Stoneless Hojiblanca Green Olives
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 handful of rocket
  • 4-5 basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp of pesto
  • Parmesan to taste
  • Salt

Method

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the dried breadcrumbs (panko), chilli flakes, 1 crushed garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Transfer onto kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. This is the pangrattato.
  2. In a pan, bring water to a boil, add about a teaspoon of salt and set the pasta to cook al dente, according to the instructions on the packet.
  3. Roughly chop the remaining garlic, the chilli, Fragata capers and olives. In a pan, heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
  4. Gently cook the remaining garlic, sliced chilli, capers and olives until the garlic is golden.
  5. When al dente, add the pasta to the rest of the ingredients, alongside 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water and the juice of half of lemon.
  6. Add the rocket and basil and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  7. Add a tablespoon of pesto and stir and add a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve with a good sprinkling of the pangrattato and a grating of parmesan.

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