Spaghetti with zucchini & lemony, garlic crumbs

This recipe came about for a few simple reasons: I love zucchini, I adore the brightness that lemon brings to pasta, and I’m a self-confessed crunch addict, so the garlic breadcrumbs were a must. It really is as straightforward as that. I won’t apologise for not giving a full, detailed recipe here — pasta doesn’t always need one. Unless you’re making a complex sauce, it’s really just about bringing together a few great flavours that work beautifully.

Add as much of anything as you like.

I boiled the spaghetti in salted water making sure to leave a little of the left over cooking liquid. This helps at the end to make a silkier pasta sauce. 200g will be enough for 2 portions. I sliced a few zucchini (about 1 cup) and pan-fried these in olive oil. I seasoned this and added a pinch of chili. I removed this from the heat and set aside. In the same pan, I heated a bit more olive oil, and friend about  half a cup of toasted breadcrumbs. Just as the oil is coated it nicely, I added the zest of a lemon, 1 clove of crushed garlic, sea salt flakes (a good pinch or two) and a small handful of finely chopped parsley (about 1 tablespoon). Toss the crumb mixture around in with the aromatics, making sure not to burn the garlic.

Strain the boiled pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in with about 1/4 of a cup of the cooking liquid and turn the heat to low. Add the cooked zucchini and heat through, stirring all the time. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon that you used to make the zest. Add the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat all the strands and serve immediately with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a packed with flavour and a fabulous, quick summery supper. If you like a bit more heat add more chilli. I used dried chilli flakes.

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