Fried Zucchini & Basil Casarecce
Here’s my riff on an Amalfi Coast classic: Spaghetti alla Nerano. I like to grow zucchini in my garden because they aren’t fussy and will produce tender squash and beautiful flowers for me to cook with all summer long.
4 servings
- Pat the zucchini rounds with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Line a plate with paper towels.
- In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 cup of the olive oil until it’s nice and hot but not smoking. Working in batches, add the zucchini and fry until golden and crisp on both sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the fried zucchini to the prepared plate. Keep warm.
- Meanwhile, in another small frying pan over low heat, combine the remaining 1⁄4 cup olive oil and shallot and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from the heat.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the casarecce and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve about 11⁄2 cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta in a colander and return it to the warm pot.
- Off the heat, add the butter to the pasta, then stir in the shallot- garlic mixture, fried zucchini, lemon zest, and basil. Now gradually alternate between adding a little cheese followed by a little pasta water, while constantly stirring quite vigorously. (If you dump the cheese in all at once, you could end up with a clump.) Continue to add the cheese and as much pasta water as needed to create a creamy emulsion. Some of the zucchini will break up, but that’s what we want. Add a little more pasta water, if needed, to make it glossy, or a splash of the zucchini-infused oil. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Serve the pasta topped with a few basil leaves and zucchini blossoms, if desired.
