It’s still summer, and there are still plenty (or too many, depending on your gardening situation) zucchinis around. This is a recipe from Ottolenghi’s Plenty, a recipe based on his grandmother’s fried zucchini. Sage and thyme are common pairings for fried zucchini, but this dish takes a more piquant summer turn with generous handfuls of torn basil and fresh parsley. Here, the zucchini is fried in olive oil, but you could always substitute butter, if you prefer. I loved this dish just barely warm, with the mozzarella still chilled. The recipe below is Ottolenghi’s, but I’ve combined ingredients with instructions, for brevity. I also added some fresh, sliced mini tomatoes from my garden.
3 medium zucchini, in 1/4 inch slices, fried in safflower oil. After frying and draining, pour 1 1/2 Tbs. of red wine vinegar over the zucchini.
3/4 cup frozen edamame, boiled for three minutes, drained, and cooled under cold running water.
1 cup of fresh basil and 1/8 cup of fresh parsley, whizzed in a food processor with salt and pepper.
9 oz. strozzapreti or penne, cooked al dente. Rinse, and return to cook pot.
Pour the zucchini over the pasta, add the edamame, basil sauce, the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 1/2 Tbs. capers, and 7 oz. of fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn. Toss with the remaining fresh herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.
