spaghetti with zucchini & lemony, garlic crumbs

This recipe came about because:

1. I simply love zucchini
2. I adore lemon which adds so much flavour to pasta
3. I’m a crunch junkie, so wanted a bit of texture with the breadcrumbs

It really is as simple as that.

I am also not going to apologise that that there is no full and concise recipe here. I pretty much don’t understand why anyone needs recipes for pasta. Sure if there is a complicated sauce, but here its just a combination of great flavours that work well together.

Add as much of anything as you like.

This is what I did:

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.

 I look forward to connecting with you again