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Fried Zucchini and Pasta Salad

Source: Smitten Kitchen, originally from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients

  • 5 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cups frozen edamame or fresh or frozen peas
  • 3 cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 pound penne or other short tubular pasta (I used casarecce)
  • Zest of 1 1/2 lemons
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons capers
  • 10 ounces buffalo or ordinary mozzarella, torn into chunks
  • 2/3 cup canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil, for frying
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

  2. In a skillet or cast iron pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry zucchini slices in batches for about 3-4 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and sprinkle salt and black pepper over each batch. Once cool enough to handle, transfer zucchini to your final serving bowl. Once all the zucchini are fried, pour vinegar on top of zucchini and toss gently.

  3. In the hot water, cook edamame or frozen peas for 3-4 minutes, or fresh peas for 2 minutes. Fish the edamame or peas out of the boiling water (I do this with a metal sieve), and set aside to dry. Keep boiling water in pot, and cook the pasta until al dente in it. 

  4. In a food processor, combine half the basil and all the parsley and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and process until smooth.

  5. Once the pasta is done, drain and add to the bowl with the zucchini. Also add the edamame / peas, basil sauce, lemon zest, capers, and mozzarella. Mix everything together gently, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Just before serving, stir in the remaining basil. 

Recipe Notes

I, being me, scaled up the recipe roughly 1.5 times to have enough for leftovers, and also to use the entire 1-pound box of pasta I bought. If you want to make four servings, follow the quantities listed on the Smitten Kitchen website; the instructions remain for the most part unchanged.