Sunday, March 13, 2011

Fried Zucchini Spaghetti from Gwyneth Paltrow

This recipe from the April issue of Food & Wine is apparently one of Gwyneth Paltrow's favorites, adapted from Elio's in NYC,  and will appear in her upcoming book, My Father's Daughter. I was a little bit of a snoot about Ms. Paltrow's cooking talents, but I was wrong.  This was a huge hit this evening, for supper with friends.  I think I'd add another couple of squeezes of lemon or even some lemon zest.  But do try it. You won't be disappointed.



Ingredients

  1. 1 pound small zucchini, very thinly sliced crosswise (*I sliced them about a 1/4 inch)
  2. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  3. Salt
  4. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  5. 3/4 pound spaghetti
  6. 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  7. 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
  8. Freshly ground pepper
  9. Lemon wedges, for serving (*I squeezed half a meyer lemon into the pan)

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the flour and a pinch of salt. In a very large skillet, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Add half of the zucchini and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to a paper towel–lined wire rack and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining oil and zucchini.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the 1 cup of cheese, the basil and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time, tossing well to coat. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and top with the crispy zucchini. Serve right away with lemon wedges and additional cheese. 
Serve alone or as I did, with pounded chicken paillards and an easy chopped salad.

(recipe via Food & Wine magazine)

2 comments:

Agincourtdb said...

did you watch that Spain: On the Road Again thing with Paltrow and Mario Batali and the guy from the Times? The whole thing made me hungry. Plus, great scenery.

LPC said...

Come summertime. Come summertime.