Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini as it is called in North America, Australia and Italy is a small summer squash. It is also called courgette in Britain, France, New Zealand and South Africa. It can be yellow, green or light green and has a shape similar to ridged cucumber.
Zucchini has its ancestry in the America. However the typical zucchini were developed in Italy after many generation of its introduction in the America sometime in the very late 19th Century probably near Milan. Use of Zucchini in the United States was first traced to 1920s and was believed to have been brought by Italian immigrants who cultivated it in California.
It cannot be stored more than three days as it is prone to damage from chilling which shows up as sunken pits on the surface when brought into room temperature from cool storage.
Zucchini “pasta”
It is called pasta because that’s what it looks like but it’s not pasta, and it should be appreciated for its own merits. This is something entirely different, very tasty and also very healthy. The zucchini noodles can be tossed with any favorite sauce but tend to work better with a simple and non chunky style sauce.
Recipe 1
Zucchini is cut into thin slices and cut again lengthwise into thin strips. Boil some salted water, and add the noodles to cook for about 1 minute. Take out and blanch in cold water or running immediately, or cold running water, so as not to over cook. Toss with tomato sauce, garden basil pesto, a creamy Alfredo sauce. The noodles are very refreshing on sultry summer evenings.
This may be served as a side dish, boiled as above, and then briefly sautéed with melted butter and parmesan or other hard Italian cheese, freshly grated, and salt to taste. These noodles may be tried for a variation on ones favorite pasta salad…perfect for a BBQ. These can be served without first boiling them (salt the noodles for about 20 minutes, and rinse to soften them).
Recipe 2 (Low calorie)
Children usually avoid anything that even remotely healthy-looking, so first of all, use less zucchini. The original recipe calls for 4 cups of zucchini, which would be too much, so disguise it a bit better and use about 2.5 cups and regular sharp cheddar. The sliced garlic may feel a little strange, but biting into them in this dish is amazing. It really gives a perfect punch of flavor in the mouth. The dish would not be the same with minced garlic, but can be used that way if sliced garlic is not preferred.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces uncooked linguine
- 2-3 cups coarsely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook linguine according to package directions. Shred zucchini, then remove excess moisture (squeeze in a kitchen towel, like you would with spinach, or just put it in a colander and press down) and pat dry. Saute zucchini in oil for 2 minutes in a large non stick pan. Add garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes longer, or until zucchini is tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add yogurt, cheese, salt and pepper. Drain linguine and add to zucchini mixture. Toss to coat and serve.
- Ramyajit Gupta
Tags: pasta, Recipes, zucchini, zucchini pasta recipe
Related Posts:Related Posts
Leave a Comment
