Raw zucchini, Meyer lemon, feta and pinenut pasta. A perfect summer meal with minimal cooking. Slicing the zucchini thinly and marinating it in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, s+p softens the zucchini enough that you don’t even have to cook it. It also makes the finished dish a lot lighter (less oily) than if you had sautéed the zucchini. AND, the marinade releases zucchini’s natural water, which helps make a sauce.
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (I used rigatoni, any shape works)
2-3 medium zucchini
2 cloves minced or grated garlic
Zest and juice of two Meyer lemons
Olive oil
Handful of minced parsley and basil
1 cup feta
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Slice zucchini into thin rounds using a mandolin or a knife. The thinner the better. Place zucchini in large bowl and add garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil to taste (about 3-4 tablespoons) and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss zucchini and let sit for 20 minutes. The salt will start to release water, which mixes with the garlic, lemon and herbs, helping to create a pasta sauce.
While zucchini marinates, cook pasta in salted water until al dente and drain. Toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Toss warm pasta with zucchini. Add feta and pinenuts. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed. You can serve this warm, room temp or cold! Mint or some handfuls of arugula would also be a good addition. Have fun with it!
Serves 6-8
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