In America we do a lot of talking about “eating with seasons”. But it seems to me we might need a review on what exactly that means.
In Italy it means that when zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and basil are in abundance in the summer, we eat them. Often. At every meal. Even in the large chain grocery stores, the locally grown vegetables are abundant and cheap. You don’t have to seek out expensive farmers markets. You know what’s in season by seeing mountains of it in the grocery store. And it’s beautiful and crisp and fresh and you’ve been waiting since last summer to make your favorite dishes and now it’s time.
In America, so many people are getting back to the land and tending gardens. Farmers markets are abundant and chic but can be expensive to shop for the week, so lots of people will go to the farmers market on a Saturday and buy one zucchini, one beautiful tomato. It’s hard to get tired of eating local fresh produce when you can’t afford to buy it. Abundance should mean the price goes down. And if the farmer can’t sell it, he leaves it in the field because no one will buy it.
I’ve seen that. It’s a sin.
It’s August 4th and we’re in the middle of zucchini season. Some of them are huge, but even the big ones are edible and are wonderful stuffed or made into zucchini relish. The flowers are hard to come by and I’m finding that I have to volunteer to go out to the field and pick them myself, but I’m willing to do that!
So since we’ll be eating zucchini every day, I’m going to share a great recipe every day on what to do with all the zucchini! Maybe you’ll be inspired, maybe you’ll buy more zucchini to try them all. Let me know if it works!
Today’s recipe: zucchini pasta! Join me tomorrow for zucchini pancakes!
Pasta con Zucchini
3 cups zucchini, sliced into rounds or half moons
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
1 tbsp mint or basil, chopped
1 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Sea salt
Add olive oil, onion and garlic to a sauté pan, place over medium heat and sauté gently until garlic is softened, being careful not to brown. Add zucchini and parsley and continue to cook until zucchini is cooked through and soft, adding a little water and covering to steam, at least 30 minutes, adding salt to taste.
Save a small amount of the water you’ve cooked the pasta in, drain cooked pasta and toss with the sauce. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid and if it appears dry add a little of the pasta water. Toss with additional olive oil, the chopped mint or basil and Parmigiano and serve. If you have some of the flowers, you can tear them up and add them to the dish; the orange color is beautiful against the green and the white!
Another option is to add a tablespoon of pesto when you’re tossing the pasta with the zucchini.
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