Wonderfully fragrant, fresh and incredibly simple to make. When I made this I felt as though I pulled a rabbit out of my hat, not just because it taste so good, but also because I managed to get lunch together so quickly. This only took about 20 minutes to make –Most of which was spent puttering around figuring things out. Anyhow, it was 20 minutes well spent!
Zucchini Pappardelle with Olives, Lemon and Herbs
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 small-medium sized zucchini, washed; about 8 -10 ounces each
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced; about 2 teaspoons
- 1 cup olives; green, black or a mixture of both; pitted and roughly chopped
- 10 basil leaves, sliced thinly
- 10 sage leaves, sliced thinly
- 4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed from the stem
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon and half of its juice
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano, grated or sliced
Instructions
Start by cutting your zucchini by using a vegetable noodle slicer using the wide single slicing blade. Alternatively you can use a mandolin or thinly slice the zucchini with a sharp knife. Set the zucchini aside. Make the sauce.
To make the sauce, place the olive oil, garlic and salt in a large skillet. Then, turn the heat onto medium-low. Don’t preheat the pan. If you heat the pan, then add the ingredients, you run the risks of cooking the garlic too quickly or burning it. As the oil heats up be watchful so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Stir the garlic gently. After a minute or so, stir in the olives. Continue cooking the olives until they are heated through —there should be slow and gentle sizzle in the pan. Add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Next, add the zucchini. Toss the zucchini into the oil, gently heating it for a minute or two and slicking it with the sauce.
Divide the zucchini and olives between two plates or bowls. Garnish with all of the herbs, lemon zest and Pecorino. Enjoy!
Notes
Use whichever olives you favor. I had a combination of black olives and green olives stuffed with almonds, which you can easily find at your deli counter. I find olives with the stones still in them, among the most flavorful.