It's no wonder you all asked for a recipe, it does take a pretty picture doesn't it? It goes without saying of course that I have a fair level of anxiety around writing this recipe. I'm a maker of things... not a stop and take notes-er of things. I'll do my best, this dish deserves to be on dining tables across the world. ;)
Summer Pasta
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1 pound penne pasta
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3-4 small/medium zucchini squash, washed and sliced in half moons about 1/4 inch thick
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bouillon cube or heaping teaspoon vegetable bouillon (i buy Frontier in bulk)
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8-10 oz. ricotta cheese
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1/2 cup loosely packed, freshly and finely grated parmesan cheese, more for sprinkling on top if you'd like
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seasoning salt or montreal steak seasoning (my choice, it's a guilty summer kitchen pleasure)
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olive oil
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butter
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salt and pepper (the good stuff on both of these)
Before we get started - you should know that I subscribe to the Lynne Rossetto Kasper school of cooking pasta. Your water should taste like the ocean... salt it generously!!
Cook pasta according to package directions (with addedabove suggestion!). Towards the end of pasta cooking take out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta water and put in a glass bowl. Add bouillon and stir to dissolve.
While the pasta cooks, heat up a large cast iron frying pan on med/high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a bit of butter. Sprinkle a little seasoning (montreal or seasoning salt) in the pan, add zucchini (try your best to get a single layer), sprinkle with a little more seasoning and black pepper. Cook hot and quick - two minutes per side at the most. Remove squash once both sides are lightly browned. Add reserved pasta water to the pan to de-glaze, then add ricotta cheese, turn heat way down to low and let it melt in, stir in parmesan cheese. Adjust flavor by adding a little salt and pepper and a few more glugs of extra virgin olive oil, add the zucchini back in. By now the pasta should be somewhere in the kitchen cooked and drained but still hot - put the pasta into a large shallow serving bowl (I love the one in the photo for pasta saute type dishes), maybe add a little more olive oil. Now carefully and evenly cover the pasta with the sauce, gently coat pasta. Top with more parmesan if desired.
I hope this works for you and makes sense! If you have a minute stop on over to the Simple Green Frugal Co-op, I'm there today too.
