With plenty of zucchini available, I set out to find other uses for it besides grilling it and serving it as a side dish.
So I was excited to come across a zucchini pesto recipe in the September issue of Food and Wine magazine. Over the last six months, I’ve made plenty of pesto with basil and other herbs and even some with not-so-traditional pesto ingredients like arugula and feathery carrot tops.
Why not zucchini? It’s one of my favorite vegetables and like most vegetables it’s low in calories and high in nutrients. It’s one of those vegetables that’s never out of style.
Using zucchini to make pesto really made sense. Because zucchini’s flesh is soft, it’s easy to cut into pieces. And there’s no need to peel it.
And although you need to cook it some, zucchini cooks quickly and needs very little prep work. So while this pasta has three cooking steps — toasting the nuts, sautéeing the zucchini and cooking the pasta — it goes together quickly.
The difference with this zucchini pesto is that it tends to be a little looser and softer. This, I am assuming, is because of zucchini’s high water content. The texture is less grainy and more like a sauce.
What’s so pleasant about this recipe is how all the ingredients meld together. There’s the softness of the al dente-cooked pasta blended with the creamy pesto with its nutty nuances and hint of spiciness. The dish tastes light, yet full flavored. A 11/2-cup serving is very satisfying.
Toasted almonds add creaminess to this pesto. Toasting almonds (you can toast any nut) intensifies their flavor, allowing you to use fewer of them in most recipes. All nuts contain a good amount of good fats, but also calories, so keep in mind portion sizes.
The fresh mint, of which I have plenty in a pot on my deck, was another bright addition to this pesto. If you’re not a fan of mint, substitute parsley or a small amout of fresh basil. And the matchstick-size pieces of zuchini added at the end, like the author says, give the dish crunch.
Pecorino Romano is an aged cheese made of sheep’s milk. Its saltiness is a good fit with the zucchini, complementing its mild veggie flavor.
A thick spaghetti works best with this recipe. You could even use bucatini, a straw-like long pasta, which goes with about any kind of sauce. You can serve this dish as a pasta course or as a main dish. And while I am not huge on leftovers, this pesto keeps a few days and is fine hot or cold.
Spaghetti with zucchini pesto
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, divided
3 medium zucchini (about 11/2 pounds)
1 lb. favorite dry spaghetti or other pasta
1/2 cup fruity olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, peeled, thinly sliced
Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
11/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano or good-quality Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped mint, plus more for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until just golden. Be sure to keep an eye on the almonds, because they can easily burn. Remove almonds from oven, let them cool and then coarsely chop them. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. (You can toast the almonds several days in advance.)
Meanwhile, run the zucchini under cool water. Cut one in half and cut the half into matchstick-size pieces. Chop the remaining zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
Bring water for pasta to a boil and cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Scrape the zucchini into a food processor and add the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped almonds; pulse to combine. With the machine on, slowly add the remaining 6 tablespoons of oil until combined but still slightly chunky. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.
Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Turn off the heat, return the pasta to the hot pot and about 1/2 cup of the hot reserved pasta water, the pesto, lemon zest, 11/2 cups of cheese and 1/2 cup of mint. Stir until well combined. Fold in the zucchini matchsticks, being careful not to break them up. Transfer the pasta to bowls. Garnish with mint and the reserved almonds.
Serve, passing additional cheese at the table.
Cook’s note: You can make the zucchini pesto one day ahead and refrigerate it.
Adapted from Food and Wine magazine, September 2015 issue. Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Analysis based on a generous 11/2-cup serving.
616 calories (39 percent from fat), 27 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 70 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein, 582 mg sodium, 17 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber.
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