Farfalle con zucchine e fiori di zucca
Pasta with zucchini sauce
zoom »
- 250 g (8 3/4oz) egg farfalle (or other short pasta)
- 400 g (14 1/4oz) zucchini (courgettes)
- 60 g (2 1/4oz) zucchini blossoms (courgette flowers)
- 50 g (1 3/4oz) shallot
- 300 g (10 1/2oz) ripe but firm tomatoes
- Some sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Little bunch fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- Half a glass white wine
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Grated Parmesan cheese, if liked
- Time:
preparation: 30 minutes
cooking: 30 minutes
total: 40 minutes - Difficulty:
easy recipe - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 337 (kCal) 17 % GDA (*) - 1409 (kJ)
Protein: 11.7 (g) 24 % GDA
Total fat: 9.8 (g) 15 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 50.8 (g) 19 % GDA
Sugars: 7.4 (g) 9 % GDA
Pasta with zucchini sauce is a classical recipe in the Italian cuisine. Zucchini are also combined with their blossoms in the recipe we are going to show you. A lot of people like this recipe. Besides it's a simple-to-do recipe.
You will need: zucchini (courgettes), zucchini blossoms (courgettes flowers), shallot and aromatic herbs (parsley, chives and marjoram), white wine, olive oil and salt.
You can do this simple recipe only in summer and at the beginning of fall when zucchini blossoms are found easily.
Here's the recipe as we are used to do at home!
Prepare the zucchini. Cut the ends off . Wash and quarter the zucchini and remove their seeds. Cut them into strips (a "fiammifero") and put apart.
Prepare the other ingredients. Peel the shallot, clean the parsley and chives. Wash and chop. Put apart.
Peel the tomatoes and cube their flesh.
Prepare the pasta sauce. Pour the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan together with the shallot and zucchini strips. Let all fry on medium heat, stirring often, for few minutes. When the zucchini are crisp add the tomatoes too. Sauté stirring for few minutes to flavor all the ingredients and then add the parsley, chives, marjoram, wine and half of glass of water. Season to taste with salt and keep on cooking, half-covered, on medium heat, stirring now and then, for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini are tender and the cooking juice is reduced. Add other water only if necessary.
If you like crunchy vegetables don't add water, add only the wine or water and let it evaporate on fierce heat, stirring often.
Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente stage following the instructions on the package or our directions to cook well Italian pasta.
Prepare the zucchini blossoms. Cut the stems off. Remove the little leaves that surround the base of the 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 the sauce up if it is cold. Drain the pasta very well and transfer into the pan together with the zucchini blossoms. Stir on fierce heat for a minute.
Your pasta dish is ready. Serve it hot.
Note
- - Accompany the 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 to the ingredients some anchovy fillets, capers in vinegar and a bit of chili pepper. Add them to the olive oil together with the zucchini.
- - 60 g ((2 1/4oz) zucchini blossoms are about 14 pieces.
- - 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.
Healthy eating
- - Daily menu. This is a light recipe. Look at the nutrition facts: it's low-calorie and low-fat recipe. You can also eat 50 g ( 1 3/4oz) raw ham or 50 g ( 1 3/4oz) soft cheese or a little grilled chicken breast.
We remember pasta should be eaten preferably at lunch and the calories eaten at lunch should be 500 - 700 (30 - 35% of energy needs for an adult if his daily needs are about 2000 calories and he correctly divides his calories into 5 micro-meals).
Here are the doses per head: 60 g (2 1/4oz) egg pasta, 100 g (3 1/2oz) zucchini, 4 zucchini blossoms, a big tomato, less than 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, aromatic herbs in the amount you prefer. - - Special occasion menu. Don't worry about fat, calories, sugars ... it happens rarely, doesn't it? In this case the doses are enough for more people ( it can serve 8 people)
- - If you want to drink a glass of wine remember you have to add 80-85 kCal per 100 ml.
- - If you want to know more about Italian pasta and its nutrition value read this page.
- - We remember you our original home recipes can be made without salt; there is a combination of flavors that substitutes salt. Other no salt recipes ...
What's the right wine ?
Our suggestion is: Chardonnay DOC of Piave (white wine of Veneto)
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
Google+ | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest