Pasta con zucchine e nasturzi
Pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers
Pasta with zucchini and nasturtiums is an exclusive recipe of ours. A main dish that can seem strange but it's very tasty. To make this recipe you'll need: pasta, zucchini, nasturtiums, onion, capers, anchovies, aromatic herbs and olive oil.
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yeld for 2
- 160g (5.6 ounces) pasta
- 250g (8.8 ounces) zucchini (courgettes)
- 80g (2.8 ounces) onion
- 30g (1 ounce) capers in vinegar
- 3 anchovy fillets in oil
- 1 dried bay leaf
- Some sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley
- Little bunch fresh chives
- Little bunch nasturtium flowers
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Time:
preparation: 20 minutes
cooking: 30 minutes
total: 50 minutes - Difficulty:
easy recipe - Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 396 (kCal) 20 % GDA (*) - 1657 (kJ)
Protein: 13.2 (g) 27 % GDA
Total fat: 9.7 (g) 14 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 68.3 (g) 26 % GDA
Sugars: 8.0 (g) 9 % GDA
The recipe of pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers
Preparation
- - Remove the ends from the zucchini, wash and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
Cut them into thin rounds. - - Pour the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.
- - Clean the onion, chop and add to the pan.
- - Add the bay leaf and anchovy fillets too.
- - Fry on very low heat to let the anchovy melt.
- - Add the zucchini and capers. Stir with delicacy.
- - Continue cooking on very low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
Add hot water only if necessary. - - Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente stage in a pot of salted water. Follow our directions or the instruction on the package.
- - Clean, wash and chop the chives and parsley.
- - Wash the nasturtium flowers dipping them quickly in cold water. Pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
Remove every stem and cut the flower in two or three parts. - - Add the chives and parsley to the zucchini just before the end of cooking.
- - Transfer the drained pasta into the pan with zucchini.
Just before serving
- - Toss the pasta with the zucchini sauce on medium-high heat.
- - Switch off the gas. Add the nasturtium flowers. Stir again and serve.
Tips and menu planning
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- - Nasturtium we use are from our organic garden. Remember all the edible flowers you use in your recipes must have had no chemical treatment.
- - Zucchini are better known as courgettes in United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
- - As you can see in the photo we generally use trumpet zucchini for this recipe. A typical Italian product. We think they are ideal for this recipe but you can also choose baby zucchini with the same results.
- - We generally use felt pasta but you can use your favorite pasta.
- - You can prepare this pasta recipe some hours ahead and serve it at room temperature without chilling it. So it is a tasty pasta salad too.
- - Pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers is ideal for your summer daily menu because it is a low-fat pasta dish but it is a special idea for alfresco dinner or a special occasion too. We think it is particularly suitable for a menu with a lot of courses for the following reasons: it is new, good-looking, easily digestible (an important thing when there are a lot of courses) and, to finish, it combines well with a lot of different dishes.
It could be a cool idea for a BBQ menu too.
Another advantage of this pasta dish is that you can serve it either warm or cold. You know how it is important to prepare some dishes ahead when you have a lot of guests, don't you?
If you prepare pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers for a complete menu from starter to dessert these doses serve more people.
Healthy eating
- - Daily menu. Pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers is a main course. It is a low-fat recipe, quick to do and ideal for your lunch.
Complete your meal with raw seasonal vegetables or a green salad dressed with one teaspoon olive oil and vinegar according to your own taste (per head) and, to finish, fresh fruit.
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).
And if people to serve are different? Here are the doses per head: 80g (2.8 ounces) pasta, 150g(5 1/3 ounces) zucchini, 1 anchovy fillet, 1 tablespoon capers in vinegar, aromatic herbs, 1 teaspoon olive oil. - - A tip for hungry people. Increase the zucchini amount, don't change pasta or olive oil. Zucchini have only 11 kCal per 100g edible part and very low fat so you can eat all the zucchini you want.
- - Special occasion menu. Despite the simplicity of this dish you can choose it for a full menu, sure to impress your guests. Don't worry for calories, fat, sugars in such an event. It's rare, isn't it?
- - This pasta dish is dressed with no tomato sauce, ideal for people intolerant or allergic to tomato.
- - This zucchini pasta recipe idea can be a perfect vegan dish if you don't use anchovies in oil.
- - Pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers has 4.2g of fiber (daily value is 23.0g)
- - If you want to drink a glass of wine remember you have to add 80-85 kCal per 100 ml.
- - Read more about Italian pasta and its nutrition value.
- - 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 on the Italian cooking page
By Loretta
What's the right wine ?
Our tip is to match this pasta with zucchini and nasturtium flowers with a good-quality Pinot Grigio of Lison Pramaggiore DOC. Our favorite Pinot Grigio is produced by Le Carline an organic agricultural company in Veneto we knew by chance spending our summer holidays in Caorle last year (2010). If you visit the Venetian land do not miss the opportunity to visit the farm Le Carline. The owners are very friendly and you'll be able to taste the wines they produce. Not to be missed!
The author Loretta Sebastiani lives in Italy (IT)
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