It’s been a pretty zucchini-light year. Between the squirrels, chipmunks, and heavy summer rains, I’ve barely had more than 5 from the garden. I suppose it’s better than having excess and pawning them off on complete strangers. I have this friend named Martin (he’s the one that I made the wedding cake for), and he loves to give flowers to strangers on the street. The morning after his wedding, we were brunching at Upper Crust Bakery, and someone brought all of the extra sunflowers from the wedding to brunch. Martin skipped around the streets of Chico handing them out to strangers. I always imagine the enthusiasm with which people receive Martin’s free flowers will be in the faces of the people I try to surprise gift zucchini. However, it never happens. I’m not sure why. I would eagerly accept produce from your garden on the street. Does that make me weird? Wait–don’t answer that.
Luckily, I don’t have to pawn off any vegetables this year. The few precious zucchini that I have are staying close to my heart. And by heart, I mean frying pan.
I tucked them into the same cornmeal crust I used for my fried pickles on this amazing Pimento Grilled Cheese, and then piled them on top of buttery, cheesy pasta. Take it in, sistah!
This is your new summertime date night meal! One time, I grated a small clove of raw garlic into the pasta right before serving. Epic shit. But also: epic garlic breath. Not so date night friendly. Or is it the perfect way to find out if your date is a foodie?
- 6 ounces dried spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
- ⅓ cup frying oil (I use peanut oil)
- 1 small-medium zucchini
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.
- In am 8″ skillet, add the oil for frying and turn the heat to medium.
- In a small dish, mix together the cornmeal and flour. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Thinly slice the zucchini into ¼” coins. Dunk each coin in the egg white, and then the cornmeal mixture. Once the oil is hot (around 350-degrees), slide as many zucchini coins in the oil as will fit. Fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Move the fried slices to a papertowel and drain to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, you added the pasta to the water when it was boiling, right? And you salted that water, right? Good for you!
- Once the pasta is al dente, drain, and toss with the butter, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Toss well. Divide the pasta between two plates, and serve the fried zucchini on top of each.
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