Penne with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Pistachios
I should have known better than to buy zucchini in April, I really should have known better. Buying zucchini out of season means that your beautiful zucchini half moons will break down into mush instead of remaining whole and browning in the oil, maintaining their crispness and flavor.
These guys broke down within five minutes…mush
The idea was for crispy browned zucchini with roasted tomatoes and a sprinkle of pistachios right before tossing the sauce with the pasta. Three layers of flavor and texture, what I got was pulp. It was still very tasty, but not what I was aiming for exactly, live and learn, no more zucchini until summer.
Penne with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Pistachios
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
- ½ cup of shelled pistachios
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb of penne pasta
- salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°. Wash and halve the tomatoes before tossing them on a baking sheet with 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast the tomatoes for 5 to 10 minutes, until they have shriveled and browned a bit.
Wash and thinly slice zucchini into half moons. Heat oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat and add the whole cloves of garlic. When garlic starts to sizzle add slices of zucchini. Sauté zucchini over high heat for about five minutes or until they start to brown, lower heat to a medium flame. You need to make sure to turn the zucchini frequently so that it doesn’t burn.
In the meantime, fill a large pot with water for the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Once both the zucchini and the tomatoes are browned add the tomatoes to the pan and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Allow the juices from the tomatoes to take over the pan and if it dries out, add a bit of water from the pot for the pasta.
Once the water starts to boil for the pasta add a small handful of salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. When the pasta is perfectly al dente, turn up the heat on the sauce and drain the pasta. Without shaking all of the water out of the colander pour the pasta into the pan and toss it with the sauce. This allows for the pasta to cook a little longer in the sauce and to absorb the flavor.
Toss the pistachios in with the pasta before serving, allowing them to heat through. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Italicious 