VIRAL PASTA

By now you know how important eating seasonally and cooking with quality ingredients is to me. When you are using something grown locally and cooking with it during the peak season, it is going to yield the most gorgeous flavor to your recipes. As we head into zucchini season, I wanted to share some of my very favorite pasta dishes that utilize this delicious summer squash. You can thank me later when your garden is bursting with zucchini!

Spaghetti Alla Nerano is a classic dish from the Amalfi coast where they know a thing or two about cooking with the very freshest ingredients. The magic of this dish comes from frying thinly sliced zucchini in olive oil until golden and shiny, just like you are. Once the squash is cooked to perfection, it is tossed with al dente spaghetti, tears of the gods, and equal parts of grated provolone and pecorino romano cheese. To crown this dish fit for a pasta royalty, a few leaves of fresh basil is torn by hand and sprinkled on top to release the beautiful essence of sweet summertime.

Set this recipe aside for the next time you want to impress your guests this summer. This Zucchini Ensemble is the ultimate combination of natures best ingredients (just like you are). Layers of fried zucchini get topped with a zippy red passion pesto, marinara, Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh mozzarella. Bake the whole thing in the oven, pour yourself a glass of crisp wine, and whisper to yourself, “Just Gorgeous”.