Round Courgette alla Parmigiana
with fior di latte, tomato and three creams: Parmesan, datterino and basil
Difficulty
Hard
Preparation
40 min
Cooking
30 min
Serves
4 people
Category
STARTERS
Season
Summer
Cuisine
Contemporary
Round courgette stuffed with fior di latte, tomato and Parmesan, baked and served on three creams of Parmesan, datterino and basil
Propaganda's round courgette alla parmigiana is a parmigiana rethought and stood upright: the hollowed courgette becomes a little vessel, layered with fior di latte, roasted tomatoes, Parmesan and basil, then baked until it melts within. But the real play is on the plate, where the courgette rests at the centre of three distinct creams — Parmesan brought precisely to 80°C, datterino passed and blended to stay vivid in colour, basil blanched to fix that bright green. Three sauces, three clean flavours, one idea of parmigiana told in a brand-new way.
Ingredients
For the round courgettes
Round courgettes4
Water and salt for boilingto taste
Ice-cold wateras needed
Extra virgin olive oilto taste
For the filling
Fior di latte200 g
Roasted tomatoesto taste
Grated Parmesanto taste
Fresh basilto taste
For the tomatoes
Sliced tomatoes (filling)to taste
Datterino tomatoes (cream)to taste
Extra virgin olive oilto taste
Saltto taste
Parmesan cream
Grated Parmesan200 g
Fresh cream200 ml
Milk50 ml
Datterino cream
Datterino tomatoesto taste
Extra virgin olive oilto taste
Garlic1 clove
Fresh basilto taste
Basil cream
Fresh basil leavesto taste
Water and salt for blanchingto taste
Ice-cold wateras needed
Extra virgin olive oilto taste
Method
01
Preparing the courgettes
Peel the courgettes, carefully separating the peels from the core. The peels will be used for the green sauce, the cores for the pale garnish cream. Cut the courgette cores into pieces.
02
Cooking the courgette cores
In a pan, add olive oil, garlic and onion, and let them brown lightly. Add the courgette cores, season with salt and let the courgettes soften over medium-low heat, until completely tender.
03
Garnish cream (pale)
Blend the softened courgette cores until smooth and pale in colour. Transfer to a squeeze bottle, to be used for the final garnish.
04
Blanching the peels
Meanwhile, blanch the courgette peels in salted water (35 g of salt per litre). Drain and transfer immediately into iced water to stop the cooking and lock in the vibrant green colour.
05
Sauce cream (green)
Blend the blanched peels with garlic-infused oil and salt, until you obtain a smooth, intensely green cream. This will be the base sauce for the tagliolini.
06
Fried courgettes
Cut the remaining courgettes into thin rounds and fry in oil at 140-150°C until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and season lightly with salt.
07
Prawn tartare
Hand-chop the red prawns with a knife. Dress with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and grated lemon zest. Keep refrigerated until plating.
08
Cooking and finishing the tagliolini
Drop the tagliolini into a large pot of well-salted boiling water. Meanwhile, in a pan, warm a drizzle of garlic-infused oil with chopped fresh basil. Add the green courgette cream and warm gently to build flavour. Drain the tagliolini directly into the pan and toss, adding a grating of lemon zest. Continue tossing until the pasta is well coated. If you run out of green cream, add a little pasta water to reach a soft, coating consistency.
09
Plating
Twirl the tagliolini onto the plate using tongs, spooning over any green cream left in the pan. Garnish with dots of the pale courgette cream. Scatter the red prawn tartare. Finish with the crispy fried courgettes. Complete with a final grating of lemon zest and fresh basil leaves.
👨🍳 Chef's tip
