Lamb meatball orecchiette with pistachio pesto and courgette

Read the full method and weigh the listed ingredients. Prepare the meat and vegetables as described in the ingredient list, keeping sauce, starch, garnish and working ingredients separate. Clean hands, boards and utensils after handling raw meat.

Mix meatball ingredients except frying oil gently until just combined. Shape evenly sized meatballs so they cook at the same rate.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm.

Toast pistachios in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes, watching closely.

Let the nuts cool briefly.

Reserve some nuts for garnish. Pulse the rest with basil, pesto garlic and pesto Parmesan. Add pesto oil gradually, then lemon juice and pesto salt, keeping texture.

Heat the oven to 190°C fan / 210°C conventional.

Allow about 15 minutes in total, checking the oven has reached its setting.

Brown chilled meatballs in an ovenproof frying pan with their oil, turning carefully and using uncrowded loads.

Check the oven setting and carefully put the prepared dish into the hot oven.

Cook for 8–12 minutes until the centres reach 75°C for 30 seconds; extend as needed.

Check the stated readiness cue using a probe for cooked meat where specified. Carefully take the dish out and set it on a heatproof surface.

Fry courgette in its oil over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes until golden and tender.

Put the listed pasta cooking water and cooking salt in a large saucepan and start heating.

Allow the water to reach a full boil; the timer assumes a covered pan and a strong hob.

Add orecchiette to the boiling water and stir to separate. Follow its packet for the final cooking time.

Cook until just short of the packet’s al dente time; this timer is an estimate for dried pasta. Fresh pasta cooks faster.

Stir briefly, taste for doneness and extend if needed.

Reserve some starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Toss drained pasta into the finished sauce over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, adding reserved pasta water gradually until coated.

Take the pasta pan off the heat, stir in pesto and loosen with reserved pasta water. Fold meatballs in gently. Serve with reserved pistachios and shaved Parmesan.