Pasta with zucchini blossoms

Recipe for pasta with zucchini sauce

Preparation and cooking

• - Prepare zucchini.
  Cut their ends off.
  Wash and quarter zucchini.
  Remove their seeds.
  Cut them into thin strips (a "fiammifero") and put apart.
• - Prepare other ingredients.
  Peel shallot and chop.
  Clean and wash parsley.
  Pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
  Clean and wash chives.
  Pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
  Peel tomatoes and cube.
• - Prepare pasta sauce.
  Pour olive oil together with shallot and zucchini strips in a non-stick frying pan.
  Let all fry on medium heat, stirring often, for few minutes.
  When zucchini are crisp add tomatoes too.
  Sauté, stirring for few minutes, to flavor all ingredients.
  Then add marjoram, wine and half of glass of water.
  Season to taste with salt and continue cooking, half-covered, on medium heat, stirring now and then, for about 10 minutes or until zucchini are tender and cooking juice is reduced.
  If you like crunchy vegetables add only wine or water and let it evaporate on fierce heat, stirring often.
  Add parsley and chives once turned off the stove, after chopping with your hands or cutting with a ceramic knife to prevent oxidation.
• - Cook pasta.
  Cook pasta al dente stage following the instructions on the package.
• - Prepare zucchini blossoms.
  Cut their stems off.
  Remove the little leaves that surround the base of these flowers.
  Cut in half lenghtways and remove the yellow pistil inside.
  Plunge them in cold water but remember to make this step quickly: zucchini flowers are very delicate!
  Pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper with delicacy to remove the excess of water.
  Now cut them into strips.
  Put them aside.
• - The last step.
  Warm up the sauce if it is cold.
  Drain pasta very well and transfer into the pan together with zucchini blossoms.
  Stir on fierce heat for a minute.

Just before cooking

• - Your pasta dish is ready.
  Serve it hot.

Note

Tips

• - Accompany this pasta dish with Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Everyone will be able to serve himself according to his own taste.
• - For a quicker recipe. Buy baby zucchini. In this case you can only slice them. Use dried aromatic herbs and canned tomatoe flesh.
• - If you like spicy sauce add some anchovy fillets, capers in vinegar and a bit of chili pepper to other ingredients. Add them to the olive oil together with the zucchini.
• - 60g ((2.1 ounces) zucchini blossoms are about 14 pieces.

Menu planning

• - Choose this recipe as main course in your weekly menu or as first course in a typical Italian menu if you have to celebrate with your family or friends. It's ideal for a complete menu from starter to dessert because it's a light recipe that can be combined with fish or meat courses.
• - Summer recipe.

Healthy eating

• - Pasta with zucchini is a light recipe. Look at its nutrition facts: it's low-calorie and low-fat recipe. You can also eat 50g ( 1 3/4 ounce) raw ham or 50g ( 1 3/4 ounce) soft cheese or a little grilled chicken breast.
  Here are the doses per head: 60g (2.1 ounces) egg pasta, 100g (3 1/2 ounces) zucchini, 4 zucchini blossoms, a big tomato, less than 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, aromatic herbs in the amount you prefer.
• - I remember you my original home recipes can be made without salt; there is a combination of flavors that substitutes salt.

What's the right wine ?

My husband and I suggest you Chardonnay DOC of Piave (white wine of Veneto)