I didn’t do a lot of cooking over the summer, but one dish I made again and again was pasta with flash-fried zucchini and loads of mint. It had several variations, sometimes I added pine nuts and golden raisins, sometimes chopped garden tomatoes and one time I got very fancy and served each plate with a dollop of whipped ricotta a la Mario Batali.
The secret is to get the oil in the pan very hot and shimmery before you add in the zucchini, then once the zucchini has been added don’t stir too much, let it form a nice brown crust before you make the first stir, then wait and stir it again a couple minutes later when a nice crust has formed on the other side.
Pasta with Zucchini and Mint Recipe
Yield:
4
Flash-fried zucchini tossed with loads of fresh mint leaves, pine nuts, and pasta. Dairy free!
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne, fusilli, or rigatoni
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound zucchini or summer squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once visibly shimmering, add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Brown on one side, then stir and continue cooking and occasionally stirring until zucchini is tender, but still retains a little bite. Remove from heat.
- Using a spider or a slotted spoon transfer pasta from cooking water to zucchini pan and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup pasta water, pine nuts and mint. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. If it seems dry add another 1/4 cup pasta water. Serve hot with grated pecorino if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
