Pasta With Zucchini Zucchini Blossoms And Caramelized Onions Recipes

PASTA AI FIORI DI ZUCCA (PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS)

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water, stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta-cooking water.
• Clean and rinse zucchini blossoms, removing the inner parts (stigma or anthers); coarsely chop the flowers.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir garlic in the hot oil until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir parsley, saffron, and reserved 1/2 cup of pasta-cooking water into skillet; stir to combine. Add zucchini blossoms and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal into mixture and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Gently fold penne pasta into zucchini blossom mixture and top with Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper.

PASTA WITH CLAMS, ZUCCHINI, AND ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• Soak clams in cold salted water for about 1 hour. Drain.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• While spaghetti is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet and cook garlic for about 1 minute. Remove from the skillet. Add white wine and clams and cover. Cook until clams open, about 2 minutes. Remove clams from pot. Remove from shells, making sure to catch the liquid. Stir in zucchini and zucchini blossoms; season with salt and red pepper flakes and pour in clam juice. Cook until zucchini are soft, 7 to 10 minutes. When zucchini are almost soft, add clams and heat for 1 minute. Add drained spaghetti and parsley. Season with pepper.

CARAMELIZED ONION & GARLIC PASTA

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add the onions, pepper flakes and salt; saute until onions are tender. Stir in garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until onions are deep golden brown., Add the tomatoes, vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; toss with onion mixture., Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with bacon, cheese, and pepper; heat through. Garnish with basil if desired.

CARAMELIZED ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• In a large (at least 12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil. When it's foaming, add the zucchini, garlic, the basil stems and half the basil leaves. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook until pooling with liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the zucchini starts to sizzle, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to cook until the zucchini is very soft, dark green, and reduced to about 1 cup, another 20 to 25 minutes. When you see a build up of browned bits on the skillet, add a couple tablespoons of water and stir, scraping up the browned bits. Repeat anytime more browning occurs. If you see burning, deglaze with water and lower the heat. (Caramelized zucchini can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week; it also freezes well.)
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the zucchini is about done, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta. If the zucchini is ready before the pasta, keep cooking it; the zucchini will only get better the longer it cooks.
• When the pasta's drained, remove the herb stems from the zucchini. Reduce the heat on the zucchini to medium, then add the pasta, 1 cup pasta water, and the Parmesan. Stir until the pasta is glossed with sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining basil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more basil, Parmesan and black pepper.

PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until they are lightly browned and they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir well, then add the onions, paprika, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally (more frequently toward the end), until the onions are golden and very tender, about 30 minutes, reducing the heat to medium during the last 10 minutes so the onions don't burn.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta, 3/4 cup cooking water, the sour cream and vinegar to the mushroom-onion mixture. Toss until the pasta is well coated and slightly saucy, gradually adding the remaining cooking water as needed.
• Add about half each of the parsley, dill and chives to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining parsley, dill and chives.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI, ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS, AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Gently rinse and dry zucchini blossoms. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until deep golden, about 20 minutes; set aside.
• Cook penne in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini blossoms and sauté until wilted, turning, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels and gently blot. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini cubes; sprinkle with salt and sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, caramelized onion, and crushed red pepper to zucchini mixture; sauté 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add vegetable mixture and 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to pasta and toss to coat, adding more liquid if dry. Stir in cheese. Transfer pasta to large serving bowl; top with blossoms and sprinkle with parsley.

ZUCCHINI AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium high heat.
• Add onions, cook stirring for 5 minutes.
• Add sugar, cook about 7 minutes until carmelized.
• Add water if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Add zucchini, cook about 5 minutes until tender.
• Add tomato and pepper flakes.
• Cook until heated through and tomato begins to release juices, about 5 minutes Add salt and pepper.

PASTA WITH YOGURT AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Line a colander with cheesecloth and set over a bowl or in the sink. Add the yogurt and let drain for 2 hours.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. As the water heats, add enough salt so that you can taste it. Add the pasta and cook until soft, not al dente. Combine the drained yogurt with 1/2 cup cooking water and mix well. Drain the pasta and toss with the yogurt mixture.
• Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Sprinkle generously with cheese and top with caramelized onions and their juices.