Marco's Fusilli del Sottobosco

Strawberries and pasta - not the first combination you'd think of, but our resident Italian chef Marco Fava wholeheartedly approves so who are we to argue? This dish is salty, sweet, sumptuous and packed with protein thanks to our exclusive La Molisana pasta con lupini! With 21g of protein per serving, it's an easy and delicious way to eat well and minfdully. 

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Ingredients
400g La Molisana pasta con lupini
8 large Irish strawberries
1 tsp aceto balsamico
90g guanciale
10 plump Irish blackberries
250ml fresh cream
25g grated parmesan plus extra to serve
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Add the pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, finely dice 4 of the strawberries and add to a bowl. Add a touch of salt and pepper to the strawberriers, plus the aceto balsamico. Set aside and allow to macerate. Cut the remaining four strawberries into slices.

Add the guanciale to a pan on a medium-high heat and allow the fat to render and the meat to crisp up. Once crispy, remove the meat and set aside. Add the blackberries to the rendered fat and fry until they change colour, about 1-2 minutes. Add some pasta water to bulk out the liquid, just a ladleful.

Set aside 4 of the blackberries and add the rest to a sieve. Mash them through the sieve back into the fat, then whisk to combine.

Add the cream to a large pan or wok and stir in the blackberry/guanciale fat mixture. Drain the pasta once cooked and add it to the sauce, ensuring it is fully coated. Mix in the sliced strawberries and reserved blackberries.

To serve, playte the pasta and top with the macerated strawberries. Sprinkle on the crispy guanciale and finish with grated parmesan.