Pastafacarol

This dish was inspired by three things:

1. A recipe I saw on Food TV while salivating on the stair climber.
2. A new mandoline that I recently received as a gift.
3. My dear friend Carol, who likes to create her own pasta dishes at restaurants.

I had picked up a zucchini and some Meyer lemons on my latest adventure at the Food Front Co-Op, and I saw this recipe on TV that would allow me to use the zucchini and my new mandoline. Yes! Multitasking is so productive. So, first thing's first: figure out the mandoline. If you have one and have lost your instructions, too, here is a nice link for you. I'm sure you think you can do it on your own, and maybe you can, but I strongly advise removing the chip from your shoulder just for now so as not to julienne or waffle-cut your phalanges.

Thanks to this website, I was able to go from this:
To this:

Fingers intact and all. Anyway, the whole point of the julienned zucchini is to have it mimic spaghetti in the dish, therefore requiring you to use less pasta. It's a "healthy meal," see? But, of course, the eternal supply of rogue boxes of spaghetti in the various pantries of my life had somehow finally been depleted, just when I needed them most. Great. There was also a nice basil oil from the recipe on TV that was supposed to finish the dish, but when I opened the fresh-from-TJ's box of organic basil, it was all moldy and nasty. WTF? Things are not going well.

So, here's what happened:

Boil water for pasta. If you have somehow fallen into the 2% of Americans without spaghetti in the pantry like me, use whatever you have. I settled for organic penne rigate. (A note about boiling pasta. Really salt that water good. My friend and chef mentor once told me it should be "like the sea." This is your one chance to flavor the pasta itself, so don't be skimpy.)

Mince about 3 large cloves of garlic and saute in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil until light brown. Toss in a tsp or so of crushed red pepper flakes. Chop up a few tbsp each of fresh basil (preferably the unmoldy kind) and flat leaf Italian parsley, then toss in the pan and remove from heat immediately. When pasta is al dente ("to the tooth," in Italian), drain and throw it in with the garlic and herbs, along with a few tbsp of its cooking water. Toss with zucchini, the juice of half a Meyer lemon, and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season to taste with S&P. Top with lots of grated Parm and some fresh Meyer lemon zest.


This actually turned out really well, despite the slight mishaps along the way. If you're in the mood for a healthier pasta with some veggies to boot, give this a try. It's a great "light and fresh" pasta dish, free from the shackles of bolognese or alfredo, just like Carol likes it. I'd like to think that if this was on the menu in an Italian restaurant, she just might order it. Maybe...

Pair this with some Al Green and maybe just one more glass of wine. Mucho fun!

And now I'd like to take a moment to thank a few special people, without whom this dish wouldn't be possible: First, Grandaddy and Dani for the wonderful mandoline. I can't wait to make waffle fries! Second, Michael Chiarello, for being on TV while I was hungry at the gym. And last, but not least, Carol, for never settling for just what's on the menu.