Spaghetti With Raw Vegetables - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb slightly stale ciabatta bread, ground up in a food processor to make breadcrumbs
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1 lb spaghetti
1 None cucumber, deseeded and diced
3/4 lb tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 None yellow pepper, deseeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
2 cups fresh basil, 8 leaves reserved for garnish, the remainder cut into strips
None None zest from 1 lemon
1/2 lb ricotta

Preparation

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and fry the breadcrumbs until golden brown. Stir in the thyme, then remove from heat and set aside.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta and reserved water to the pan and add the cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, garlic, basil, lemon zest, ricotta and the remaining 5 tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and garnish with basil.