This is the perfect last-minute meal if you have your own vegetable patch, and if so, being summer, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of zucchini. If you’re buying them get the smallest ones you can find, whether they are yellow or green or indeed baby squash. I keep packets of Pangkarra wholewheat pasta in my pantry. It’s a great product from a Clare Valley farming family. Follow the instructions on your pasta packet so it’s ready with the other ingredients and toss them through the moment you’ve drained the pasta. To make a more substantial meal, serve this with my Grilled zucchini salad on the side.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (50 g) walnuts
- 250 g wholewheat pasta (shape of your choice)
- ½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 small yellow (or green) zucchini (about 45 g each), cut into 2 cm thick rounds
- 1 x 45 g tin anchovies in extra virgin olive oil, drained, patted dry and cut into thirds
- 1/3 cup basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 120 g ricotta, crumbled
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).
- Toast the walnuts on a baking tray for 8–10 minutes. Pour into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins while still warm. Coarsely chop and set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and return to the pan, then add 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil and season to taste.
- Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a microwave-safe container with a lid. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Alternatively, add the zucchini to a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water and cook for 2 minutes only, then drain.
- Add the cooked zucchini and anchovies to the hot pasta and toss to combine well. Divide among serving bowls, then scatter with the toasted walnuts. Gather the basil or parsley in a tight wad in your hand and finely shred the leaves with a very sharp knife, almost in a shaving action. Scatter over the pasta, followed by the ricotta, and serve immediately.