Pasta with Anchovies and Zucchini: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves6

Active time:30 min
Start to finish:30 min

May 2009

Chefs have long considered canned anchovies (left over from Italian Vegetable Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing) a “power ingredient” because of the way they can disappear into a dish while providing great depth of flavor. That’s exactly what they do in this weeknight-easy pasta, providing a foundation for the brighter notes of quickly cooked zucchini, lemon zest, and parsley.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 lb spaghetti
3 garlic cloves
12 oil-packed flat anchovy fillets
1 1/2 lb zucchini (about 3 medium), coarsely grated
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Heat oil and butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté onion with 1/2 tsp salt until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente.
While spaghetti cooks, mince and mash garlic and anchovies together to form a paste. Add paste to onion with 1/2 tsp pepper and sauté 2 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain spaghetti. Add spaghetti to zucchini mixture with reserved cooking water and toss to coat. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and zest.

Recipe by Melissa Roberts

Photograph by Stephanie Foley