Spaghetti with Crispy Zucchini & Lemon
This pasta requires minimal ingredients and not much time so its the perfect weeknight meal..especially during quarantine. The crispy, oven baked zucchini adds a wonderful sweet yet toasty flavor to the dish and the lemon brightens it all up. The heat of the cooked spaghetti cooks the egg mixture making it the right amount of creamy without being too heavy. Mmmm, I want some more…but I ate it all and have no leftovers.
Serves 2-3 People
Ingredients-
2 Medium Zucchini
1/2 Lbs of Thin Spaghetti
About 1.5 Lemons (medium size)
2 Large Eggs
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup of Grated Percorino Romano Cheese (or Parmegiano Reggiano), plus more for garnish
Salt & Pepper (ideally pepper you grind from a grinder)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Fresh Chives or Parsley for Garnish
Steps-
Preheat your oven to 375F.
Leaving the skin on, slice your zucchini with a mandolin or a sharp knife into thin round slices. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on a sheet tray (you may need more than one to ensure you don’t crowd the pan). Lay the zucchini on the tray in one layer and then drizzle the top with more olive oil. Grind a little black pepper over the top and then place the trays in the oven.
While the zucchini is in the oven put up a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil.
Cook the zucchini about 15 minutes or until golden brown and the edges are slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a small bowl beat together the 2 large eggs, heavy cream, grated cheese, a dash of salt and about 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 1.5 inch long strips of lemon zest. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into thin strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining zest, you want 1 teaspoon of the finely grated zest in total. Next, squeeze the lemon (may take 1.5 lemons) and reserve 2.5 Tablespoons of juice; stir the 1 teaspoon of fine zest into the juice and set aside.
When the water is boiling add the thin spaghetti and cook according to the instructions on the box (roughly 7 minutes). Drain the pasta but be sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside.
While the pasta is piping hot and off the heat, using tongs or a spork to toss the pasta with the lemon juice mixture. While you are stirring quickly, add the egg/cheese mixture and make suer everything is nicely coated. The heat of the pasta will allow the egg mixture to cook and become a creamy texture. using tongs gently toss in 3/4 of the crispy zucchini.
Plate the pasta into your serving bowls and then top each dish with more grated cheese, cracked black pepper, a small sprinkling of the thin strips of zest and the remaining zucchini Chips. You can also add some nice freshness with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or chives.