Pasta with Fried Zucchini

Pasta with fried zucchini is a simple and tasty dish, perfect for a summer lunch. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (penne or spaghetti work well)
• 3-4 medium zucchinis
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmigiano (optional)
• Fresh basil for garnish (optional)
• A pinch of chili pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by washing the zucchinis, pat them dry and cut them into 3-4 mm thick slices or sticks.
2. In a large pan, heat plenty of olive oil and fry the zucchini in batches until they are golden and crispy. Once ready, drain them on paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with salt.
3. While frying the zucchini, boil a pot of salted water for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it is al dente.
4. In a large skillet, lightly brown the garlic cloves in olive oil. If you like chili pepper, you could add it at this step. Then, remove the garlic.
5. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the skillet with the garlic-flavored oil. Add the fried zucchini and mix well on low heat for a couple of minutes.
6. Adjust the salt and pepper and, if you wish, add fresh basil torn by hand.
7. Serve the pasta with the fried zucchini hot, topped with a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano if you like.

Curiosity

This dish is a quick and flavorful variant of the classic pasta and zucchini. The frying gives the zucchini a pleasant contrast in texture compared to the softness of the pasta. In many Italian regions, anchovies or capers are also added to give the dish more flavor.