Food writer and broadcaster Marlena Spieler
- 28.6.08 Yummy Zucchini Pasta from Positano
- that yummy pasta con zucchini! this fed two of us I used tagliatelle (fettucine) instead of spaghetti, which worked out really well as it held the sauce nicely. 2 big zucchini, or about 6 small ones, sliced thinly, crosswise teeny bit of extra virgin olive oil, maybe a teaspoon sea salt to taste 1/2-1 cup water 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream About 3 ounces provolone or other lovely firm white flavorful cheese (i have also used cave aged gruyere, and in the original in positano, it was smoked provolone) About 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan (about 1/2 cup) a small handful fresh basil leaves 150g egg tagliatelle, dried Saute the zucchini in the olive oil in a nonstick pan, over pretty high heat, tossing every so often, til golden and softish. Season to taste. Remove half the sauteed zucchini to a separate plate or pan. Add the water to the remaining sauteed zucchini in the pan, cook and cook over high heat a few minutes, until it reduces to less than half, forming a sauce, then pour in the cream and cook together a minute or two, til lightly thickened. Mash with a potato masher or coursely puree in food processor etc, and set aside while you cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until just al dente; drain and reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, in the frying pan, over medium heat, add the provolone or whichever cheese you have chosen, and as much of the cooking liquid as needed to loosen the sauce and emulsify it all together.... When it comes together in a minute or so, season to taste, then sprinkle with the parmesan and top with the basil leaves. Serve when you come out of the sea, from swimming. > > >
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I loved that zucchini pasta from Positano. Glad to hear they still make it. I ate it every night when I was there as a vegetarian in the early 90s. Only trouble was it sadly gave me the worst food poisoning I ever had in my entire life. I figured that most people were eating the glorious seafood which left the poor zucchini pasta hanging around a few days. Tasted good while it lasted though...
Marlena — whether or not you were, like me, glued to the TV for the Gabrielle Hamilton-Bobbly Flay Iron Chef Zucchini Battle, you might like reading this nice piece Hamilton wrote about her approach to being a chef in NYC. No-one writes quite as well as you, but she has verve and perspective and does write very well.
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