Pasta With Zucchini And Oregano Recipes

SPAGHETTINI SQUARED: PASTA WITH OLIVE OIL, GARLIC, AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, cut the zucchini with the fine French-fry cutter on a mandoline. If you do not have one, cut by hand into the longest, finest julienne you can manage. Season with salt and pepper. If your zucchini is very finely cut, it does not need to be cooked. Otherwise, place in a colander, suspend over the pasta pot, cover the pot, and steam the zucchini until still slightly crunchy, about 2 minutes. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Turn on the exhaust fan and add the red pepper flakes. Quickly mix in the basil and parsley and remove from the heat. When the pasta is al dente, drain through a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl; add the zucchini, basil oil, the garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Toss well, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Grate about 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top and serve at once. Cook's Note: The reason to save the basil oil to toss with the pasta at the end is so the oil will have a fresh, uncooked taste.
• Basil Oil (and other herb flavored oils):
• For soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro or tarragon: Use 4 cups packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil. For woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano or lemon verbena: Use 1 cup packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil. In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster. Immediately strain the oil again through a flat-bottomed paper filter. If the filter clogs, you may need to change the filter partway through. It's okay to pick the filter up and squeeze it gently to get the oil out faster, but be careful not to break the filter. (Sometimes a little dark liquid comes through the filter first. Don't worry; that's water. It will settle to the bottom because it is heavier than the oil.) Let the filtered oil settle for a few hours, then pour it off the dark liquid. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. Cook's Notes: The oil passes through the filter faster if it's filtered while still hot, so set up your filter before you start the recipe. You'll need a flat-bottomed paper filter, like those used for some drip coffee machines. Cone-shaped filters tend to get clogged. Yield: about 1 1/3 cups

GARLIC OREGANO ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook and stir the garlic in oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender.

THAT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI STANLEY TUCCI LOVES (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
• Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
• As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
• Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
• Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper and adjust heat so onion and zucchini release their liquid without browning. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until very tender.
• Add tomatoes and their liquid to zucchini and raise heat a bit so mixture bubbles. Cook pasta until it is nearly but not quite tender. If sauce threatens to dry out, add a little pasta cooking water.
• Drain pasta and finish cooking it in sauce. Serve, garnished with parsley or Parmesan.

ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve.
• Fill a medium sauce pan with lightly salted water. Add zucchini and bring to a boil; boil for 10 minutes or until tender.
• In a large skillet, saute garlic in oil and hot pepper flakes. Add drained zucchini and parsley, then mix all together and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss with pasta; then add cheese and salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add zucchini; sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Mix in garlic and oregano; remove from heat. Add zucchini mixture to pasta, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls as needed to moisten. Add 1/2 cup cheese; stir until melted. Transfer to large bowl. Serve, passing additional cheese for sprinkling.

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH RED ONION, OREGANO AND FETA

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to boil; add salt.
• Stir in pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes.
• Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, then drain pasta.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil and the butter in a large deep skillet over moderate heat until butter is melted.
• Add onion and oregano, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add zucchini and squash; cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Add broth; bring to a simmer.
• Remove from heat and keep warm, covered, for sauce.
• Add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid to sauce in skillet; toss to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Simmer until pasta is coated well, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and toss in feta.
• Spoon into bowls, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and serve.

ORZO WITH ZUCCHINI AND FETA

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine zucchini and water. Cover and cook on high for 1 minute or until crisp-tender; drain. , Drain orzo; place in a large bowl. Add the zucchini, feta cheese, oil, oregano, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Serve warm or chilled.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel covered plate to drain. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon drippngs.
• Add onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook until soft about 3-5 minutes.
• Add wine and bring to a boil, simmer until reduced by 1/3 about 3-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile cook pasta in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes and then add zucchini and cook for remaining time according to package directions. (about 10 minutes total time) Drain.
• Add pasta, zucchini, bacon, tomatoes and oregano to onion in dutch oven. Toss and cook over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes or until pasta is coated with sauce.
• Add cheese, toss, and cook for another few minutes or until cheese melts.
• Serve at once or this can be prepared ahead of time and reheated at 350°F until hot (about 30 minutes).