Penne with zucchini pesto and parmesan crackers

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• ½ tbsp flour
• Rosemary, coarsely chopped needles
• e.g. chili powder
• 30 g almond sticks
• 30 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large zucchini, quartered, pitted, diced
• 1 garlic clove(s), chopped
• 30 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 handful of basil, picked leaves
• ½ lemon(s), untreated, grated peel
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 160 g penne

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Greetings from Italy

For the crackers, mix the Parmesan with the flour, rosemary, and chili powder. Heat a non-stick frying pan without fat and add the cheese mixture to the pan in two thin discs. Wait until the cheese melts, turn the discs over and wait until they begin to sweat, then remove them, drain on a paper towel, and, while still warm, place them around a glass to create a nice round shape. For the pesto, toast the almond slivers and walnuts in a pan without fat, then remove them and heat olive oil in the pan. Stir-fry the zucchini for 2-3 minutes, then remove them. Lightly season a few cubes with salt and pepper and set aside. Place the remaining zucchini in a tall blender with the oil and let cool briefly. Add the toasted nuts and blend everything thoroughly; mix in the garlic and Parmesan. Chop the basil leaves and stir them into the pesto along with the lemon zest. Continue blending, adding enough olive oil until the pesto reaches a pleasantly creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the penne in plenty of salted water until al dente (you can also mix a few spoonfuls of the cooking water into the pesto if you like), drain well, and divide among plates. Spoon some pesto onto each plate, sprinkle with the reserved zucchini cubes, and serve garnished with the Parmesan cracker.