For the last month it seems like all I’ve been doing is traveling. And in fact, I just looked at the calendar and I’ve been on the road 25 out of the last 30 days.
Want to know what I’ve been doing when I’m not traveling? Eating zucchini.
We planted so many zucchini that it’s been hard to keep up with the abundance. Luckily they keep pretty well in the fridge, and so the first thing I do when I get home is start chopping.
I’m actually between trips this weekend , up at our house in Todi. I got back from Sardegna on Wednesday and am headed up to Venice and Torino on Monday morning. So this weekend it was a zucchini fest.
Here are two dishes I made that should serve you well this summer.The first is actually with yellow squash (yellow zucchini I call it) and takes advantage of the extremely sweet, milder taste of that variety. I paired it with sheep’s milk ricotta and not much else. You might want to make it more complex, so feel free to add grated pecorino and/or a bit of hot pepper. Me? I really love the mild (bland?) taste of this dish, which I find extremely comforting. As with any pasta dish this simple, the quality of the pasta itself is key. In this case I opened one of the packs of Gentile pasta I brought home with me from Gragnano. The minute the pasta hit the boiling water the kitchen was filled with the rich, warm smell of grain, something you don’t ever get from industrially made pasta.
(This is actually a version of a pasta dish I make all the time, in infinite variations, where the zucchini gets cooked in the same water as the pasta. )
The second recipe is a side dish, or salad. I served it room temperature and it couldn’t be easier. Prepare it in the morning, and then it’s ready for lunch or dinner later on when it’s too hot to cook.
You’ll see both recipes use my new favorite ingredient: garlic oil. I’ve been using this in and on almost everything lately. It’s super easy: just whizz some cloves of garlic in the blender with a cup of extra virgin olive oil. Since it’s completely pureed and emulsified, this means the garlic doesn’t burn if you cook with it (the zucchini side dish above) and if you’re adding it raw (the pasta dish above) no one is biting into chunks of garlic.
pasta with yellow squash and ricotta
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I love this recipe with yellow squash, which has a really mild taste, but if you want to you can use regular green zucchii.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized yellow squash (zucchini)
- 400 grams short pasta (penne or fusilli)
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Using a blender or immersible blender mix the olive oil and garlic until the garlic is completely emulsified into the oil. Set aside.
- Wash and chop the yellow squash. I like cutting it lengthwise, in four, and then slicing it into 1/4 inch little wedges.
- Place the ricotta in a serving bowl big enough to hold the finished pasta. Pour in the olive oil/garlic mixture, and stir well, along with some freshly ground black pepper. Use a fork to make it very smooth.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water. After 5 minutes, add the squash. When done, drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add at least half a cup of the water to the ricotta mixture, mixing well. If it seems very dry, you can add more. It all depends on how wet your ricotta is.
- Add the drained pasta to the ricotta, and stir, adding the basil.
- Serve as is or, if you think it's too 'plain' (I don't!) you can served grated pecorino sardo (I'm obsessed with this after our recent trip) to add at the table.
broiled zucchini salad
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I really didn't know what to call this recipe. Everything I wrote sounded really boring. And this dish is anything but. Makes a great side dish to any kind of meal.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ground red pepper
- salt
- white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Using a blender or immersible blender mix the olive oil and garlic until the garlic is completely emulsified into the oil. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 250c/450f
- Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices, lengthwise.
- Cover two baking sheets with parchment.
- Lay the zucchini in one layer. Using a pastry brush, coat each slice liberally with garlic oil. Sprinkle with salt and a bit of red pepper (not too much)
- Place in oven for 8 minutes.
- Take out of oven, and put on your broiler. When hot, replace each of the trays, one at a time, just for a few minutes to slightly brown.
- Place on a pretty plate, and top with chopped parsley and mint. Serve room temperature.
- Take out of oven and while still warm, barely sprinkle with the vinegar. Really, just a bit. You can use your fingers to just splash a bit on.
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I just made the Broiled Zucchini Salad. It was delicious and so easy. thanks. I am having trouble finding Gentile pasta in the United States. Any suggestions? Thanks
For some reason I can’t find the list of sources I had. Once I do, I will add them to this post.
“Viola Imports” in Illinois sells Gentile pasta in the States. Below is a link for your information. Please note that I am not promoting them, it was just that I had sourced this pasta for a friend in the US a while ago. Ciao, Olga in Chianti
http://www.violaimports.com/products/gentile-pasta-gragnano/
Thanks Olga. Unfortunately this is just a wholesale site. I’ll be adding to this post later on , with a list of retailers that I received from Rogers Collection which also imports their pasta.
Zingerman’s
Greetings from California! What a nice blog..! I spent couple of days reading and enjoying all your notes and wonderful pictures. I love everything about Italy, and hopping one day to visit this beautiful country. Thanks for all your recipes, I’m definitely going to surprise my American- Italian husband with new delicious things. Broiled zucchini salad is on my to do list for today; I already taste it in my mouth, and I’m pretty sure we are going to like it.
PS-In love with your ceramic plates, they add some Italian chic and creates a special atmosphere. I LOVE nice plates, and have tons of it. But each time I see an Italian ceramic piece at the store here in San Diego I can’t resist and buy at least one mere ))
I love the sound of both the zucchini recipes. You sure did plant a lot of zucchini! I’=ll have to try both of these once our zucchini start growing, though I need to look for some good ricotta, which is not always that easy to find in France.
If you can’t find ricotta, I’m sure some other fresh cheese would be interesting as well.
I’m making the pasta right now!
How’d it turn out?
Hello! We finally had a chance to make the Pasta with Yellow Squash and Ricotta! We grew zucchini this summer and I made some ricotta and this was the BEST! So easy and the flavor is amazing! This will be a hit every summer as our garden gives us more veggies.
We actually have made quite a few of your suggestions from your Instagram this summer and have enjoyed them all. Following you in Instagram has kept me sane through the sheltering for COVID and then being furloughed from work. I found it interesting how much of what you had happening in Italy with your garden, weather and sunsets were similar to us here in Wisconsin… I only wish our winter wasn’t so harsh. You may have better weather. I even had zinnias and Queen Anne’s Lace in vases in the house when you did!
Thank you so much for this recipe and your postings! Love that we found you! The whole family watches to see what you and Sophie are up to!
Thank you so much! Glad to hear you’re enjoying my photos as well as the recipes!