Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil

Dear Siobhan,

So, finally, I'm making my first official appearance in writing my first letter to you. I haven't been up to much lately. It's those last days of summer where there is nothing to do, and boredom is definitely starting to take it's toll on me. So I thought: what better to do than dive right into a food post? I don't know if you know, but I recently acquired a Danish cookbook on cooking Italian food fast. It's called 'Moderne Mamma' which as you know translates to Modern Mama. It's all about cooking delicious (albeit carbohydrate-rich) foods in no time, and best of all the book has been sponsored by the cheese company Galbani. That's right, there are no recipes without lots and lots of cheese in this book, my cheese loving friend.

Flipping through this book I pretty much want to try all the recipes, but we recently hosted my brother's birthday party, and had lots of leftover vegetables and fruits. Zucchini and lemon in particular. So I found a recipe featuring zucchini. A little browsing of tastespotting later, though I found the final recipe I decided to go with, though with elements of the original recipe. It turned out quite a delicious, super easy, simple meal.

You will need:

• 300g  penne pasta (I went with wholegrain, to maintain an illusion of healthiness, but I would strongly suggest normal, white pasta)
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 zucchinis
• Fresh lemon juice of half a lemon
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 large handfuls of fresh basil (depending on how much you like basil. I used about a handful, and couldn't really taste the basil that much)
• 80g parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of lemon zest

Now for the actual cooking part.

Start by chopping up your vegetables, so they are ready to go. As you can see I julienne'ed the zucchinis, and chopped up the garlic. I prefer to do this as opposed to mincing it in those funny little tools you use, I forget what they are called, because they are such a pain to clean... and dry.

Once your vegetables are chopped cook the pasta in a large pot according to the directions on the package. While the past cooks, heat the olive oil in a pan, and once it is hot add the chopped garlic, letting it sizzle for about thirty seconds, over medium heat, until it's just turning golden. Then add your julienne'ed zucchinis and cook these until they are just starting collapse.

At this point, squeeze out half a lemon over the pan, and continue cooking the zucchini until they are tender. Chop the basil, and grate a lemon until you have about a tbsp of lemon zest. 

When your pasta is done, strain it and stir in the zucchinis, parmesan, basil and lemon zest.  Tada! Serve it immediately!

So there you are Siobhan. My first recipe post. Hope you enjoyed it! 

Lots of love from Denmark,

Vibe

Recipe Source: Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and 'Moderne Mamma'