Small changes I made to Deb's adaptation: I had fresh chive oil in the refrigerator (who doesn't?) so I used that and I also thought it would be pretty snappy to steam some chive strands and let them mingle through the pasta (they're in there, I swear, but I'm still working on my food styling skills). Finally, I had some home made ricotta, and I thought it would be pretty wonderful to drop a dollop on top.
Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Ricotta
serves two
- 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (I like Bionature brand)
- 8 ounces zucchini
- handful of chives
- 3-4 tablespoons of chive oil (or another flavored oil - see below)
- 1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Boil the pasta in heavily salted water. After about 6 minutes, place the zucchini and chives in a steamer basket and steam them over the boiling pasta (alternatively, steam them in a separate pot for about 2-3 minutes). Drain the pasta, reserving a little cooking water, when it's cooked al dente and toss with the zucchini, chives and chive oil. Add up to 1/2 cup of cooking water to make the dish saucier, if necessary.
Serve in individual bowls, topped with a spoonful of ricotta. Twirl a little ricotta into each bite as you eat the pasta or stir the ricotta into your bowl instead.
Chive Oil
- 1/2 cup grapeseed, canola or some other mild-flavored oil
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
2 comments:
Try cooking the pasta half a minute or so less and putting the zucchini strips into the colander before you drain it. If you put right back into the pot, toss it with a little olive oil, and put the lid back on to steam it a minute or two it'll save a step and some equipment.
If nothing else, the moisture the zucchini releases is probably tastier than pasta water.
Folks, that is some varsity-level advice there from Julia. I strongly endorse this method and her point on the zucchini moisture is a good one.
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