Today is Fried Zucchini Sauce with Garlic and Basil. I was really looking forward to making this in some ways (the taste and texture) but not in other ways (my weight with butter and fried zucchini). The results of this pasta were very good. When I first saw the recipe, I was expecting to fry zucchini and add it to a tomato sauce. But no, that’s not how this was done. You take your zucchini and slice it into pieces about 2 1/2″ long and 1/4″ in diameter. This chopped zucchini is salted, and sits in a colander to drain for 2 hours. You then dry it, toss it with flour, and fry it in hot oil. Yum, fried zucchini. I wondered if I was going to have enough left for the sauce, as I kept sneaking bites off the plate. The sauce is finished by melting butter, and tossing the butter, basil, zucchini, and grated Parmesan cheese with the hot pasta. I really did love this dish. I did make fresh fettuccine for the pasta. I wouldn’t bother to make this dish without fresh pasta. I think that made all of the difference in the world.
I used Marcellla’s recipe for the fresh pasta. 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to 2 eggs. The pasta turned out beautifully. You do need to make sure you knead it the full 8 minutes though, or it just won’t have the texture you want. Here’s a photo of the pasta drying for a few minutes on the counter before being cut into strips.