Gratinated pasta with fillet in zucchini sauce

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 250 g pasta
• 1 large onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 m.-large zucchini
• 2 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• 1 tsp sage, finely chopped
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 150 g fresh cheese, Turkish (tulum peynir) or grated Parmesan
• 500 g pork fillet(s)
• 4 tbsp oil, e.g. B. Alba butter oil
• 100 g Gouda, grated, medium-aged
• 10 tomatoes, dried, in oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

to prepare well for guests

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Do not let it get too soft, as it will continue to cook in the oven. Before draining, set aside a cup of the cooking water. Then drain, but do not rinse! Sear the pork fillet well on all sides and set aside. Once cooled, halve lengthwise and cut into 1 cm thick slices. The meat will still be red on the inside, but will continue to cook during the gratin and will ideally be a delicate pink when finished, but will always remain nice and juicy. Dice the onions and garlic cloves. Slice the zucchini. Here, I first cut lengthwise into 1 cm thick slices. I do not cut all the way through at one end to keep a grip and so that the zucchini retains its shape. Then I cut 1/2 cm thick slices crosswise. This creates narrow strips. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan and sauté the diced onions. Then add the zucchini and fry over high heat. Don’t stir it too much, as otherwise the vegetables won’t have a chance to fry; they’ll just cook. Fry for about 5 minutes. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips and add them. When the zucchini have taken on some color, stir in the tomato paste and fry. Then add salt and a little pepper to taste, as well as the sage. Deglaze with a cup of water. Stir in 100g of the Turkish cream cheese evenly. The cheese looks quite similar to feta, but I would recommend Parmesan or cow’s milk feta as an alternative. Fold in the pasta and fillet. Since the pasta will still absorb liquid (especially if you prepare it in advance), the mixture shouldn’t be too dry, so add more pasta water as needed. Transfer everything to a baking dish and sprinkle with the grated Gouda and the remaining Turkish crumbled cheese. This is a perfect meal to prepare ahead of time for a large group of guests. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 200 °C top/bottom heat for approx. 20 – 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.