This summer is really testing us, dividing Italy in half from a meteorological perspective: in the north, terrible hailstorms and in the south, really unbearable and oppressive heat! Here in Sicily, we try to cope with the high temperatures with fresh and light dishes. Here on the blog, you will find a section called Special Cold Salads, a nice selection of very tempting and varied summer recipes to satisfy all palates! The one I present today is no exception! It is a type of pasta that easily captures all types of seasoning, spelt caserecce seasoned with the seasonal vegetables we love most, eggplants, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes, and then served with an aromatic and intriguing basil stracchino cream that I tell you will conquer you from the first bite! A riot of smells and colors that you can bring to the table on any occasion: at the beach, on a trip, at the office, or to serve in the garden, in an outdoor buffet, managing with simplicity and taste to achieve guaranteed success!

Source: [ Recipe taken from the blog Piovono ricette with my personal modifications].

If you like cold pasta, here are some ideas below to get inspired:

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 4 people
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer

Ingredients:

11.3 oz spelt caserecce
2 black oval eggplants (medium)
1 zucchini
9.9 oz datterini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
3.4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
to taste oregano
A few leaves basil
to taste salt
3.5 oz stracchino cheese
2 tbsp water
0.7 oz basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
to taste salt

Tools:

1 Cutting board
1 Knife
1 Baking tray
1 Pan
1 Colander
2 Spoons
1 Mixer
1 Salad bowl

Steps:

After washing and cleaning the vegetables, cut the eggplants and zucchini into cubes and the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters if particularly large (fig. 1).
Place them on a well-oiled baking tray and salt to taste (fig. 2). Season with plenty of oregano and drizzle the surface with 2 tbsp of oil (fig. 3).
Put it in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 50 minutes or until completely golden, turning them occasionally (fig. 4). Take out of the oven and let them cool. Meanwhile, in a large pan, cook the caserecce in plenty of salted water according to the times indicated on your package (fig. 5).
Drain them with the help of a colander and drizzle with 1.4 tablespoons of oil, mixing well, to glaze and prevent them from sticking (fig. 6). Transfer the caserecce to a large salad bowl and season them with the now cold vegetables, mixing well with two spoons and keep in the fridge (fig. 7).
In a separate mixer, combine the stracchino, basil leaves, water, a pinch of salt, and the oil in a stream (fig. 8). Blend repeatedly until you get a smooth, fairly liquid cream, adding a little more water if necessary (fig. 9).
Just before serving, add the basil cream and mix (fig. 10).
Serve with another drizzle of oil and a few basil leaves to taste or a nice handful of fresh arugula.
And voila… the vegetable caserecce with basil cream are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!