Although I’ve heard versions of this recipe called Zucchini Carbonara, I would agree with long-time Rome resident Rachel Roddy, that calling anything that is not your traditional carbonara, carbonara is to wander into dangerous territory. Italians are very particular about their food, including its terminology. Feathers are easily ruffled; noses are easily knocked outa joint.
The similarities between the two pasta sauces, however, are very apparent. The elements of hot fat, pasta, eggs, and cheese, swished together with some of the pasta cooking water, are all there. Only, the guanciale (pig’s cheek) is missing, with the zucchini having been lobbed in to replace it. Yumm right?
I particularly love this creamy zucchini sauce with fettucce, a flat, ribbon like pasta, slightly wider than the more famous fettuccine. A specialty from the Rome and Lazio region, I hadn’t known of this type of pasta until I came to live here. At first, I thought Massi was just making up the word fettucce – an endearingish mockery of my Australian habit of truncating words. But when I saw the broad pasta strands (and the label on the packet), the penny dropped. The word fettucce, was not an Aussie style dropping of the “ine” from fettuccine, but simply the base word fettucce without the suffix “ine” – in Italian meaning little – having been added. A-ha … I was beginning to get it … fettucce was a type of pasta in itself, the slightly broader, parent pasta of fettuccine. No slang, no mincing of words.
Really, I ought to have known better when it comes to Italians and their food terminology. A spade is a spade. Carbonara is Carbonara. Fettucce is Fettucce.
If you can’t find fettucce, this zucchini sauce would be equally superb with spaghetti, linguine, fettucine – all the long, ribbony pasta types, that do so well bathed in a creamy sauce, where the oil base keeps the pasta strands separated. The recipe is genius in its simplicity. Slowly fry sliced zucchini together with some onion. Boil pasta, and add it to the veg, saving some of the cooking water. Then, off the heat, add a mixture of eggs, cheese, plus a splash of pasta water. Swoosh the whole thing together and you’re done.
I admit, 2 elements of this recipe can get dicey, but with practice they become a breeze. The first, knowing how much pasta water to add. Too little and the sauce can be stiff or dry, too much – a little swamped (this can often be corrected by adding some extra cheese). The second – the eggs becoming somewhat scrambled. Removing the pan from the heat before adding them to the pasta, is the trick here. Then, stiring energetically (no dawdling). You want the eggs to emulsify with the combo of movement and residual heat to create a deliciously creamy sauce.
The recipe below is a slightly altered version of Rachel Roddy’s taken from her book, Five Quarters: Recipe and Notes From A Kitchen in Rome. Unlike many versions of this recipe that cut the zucchini in rounds, I like her zucchini matchsticks that mimic and mingle so well with the ribbons of pasta. I opt for regular onion (over spring onions) as I always have them in the house. I often exchange the basil for mint – both offering a heady perfume and an ample lift to an already deliciously tasty sauce. When in season (like now!!!), I also like to add some torn zucchini flowers to the mix in the final stages of cooking, just for a pop of seasonal yellow joy.
Fettucce with Zucchini, Eggs and Parmigiano ~ Fettucce Zucchini, Uova e Parmigiano
Serves 4
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 300g zucchini
- 75 ml olive oil
- 450g fettucce, linguine or spaghetti
- 2 whole eggs, plus two extra yolks
- 70g grated parmesan
- several zucchini flowers (optional)
- A few basil or mint leaves
- Salt and black pepper
Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
Cut the onion and half, then slice thinly.
Cut the zucchini into 5cm long chunks. Then, cut each chunk lengthwise into planks 2mm thick. Pile the planks together and cut lengthwise again, into matchsticks.
In a large frying pan, warm the oil over medium- low heat. Add the sliced onion and zucchini together with a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring frequently until they are soft and tender – around 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat,
Add salt to the pan of boiling water, then add the pasta. Cook until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, extra yolks, parmesan, a pinch of salt and lots of pepper.
In the last minutes of the pasta cooking time, return the frypan with the zucchini and onion to the heat. Warm the vegetables and the oil.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan with the vegetables and combine. If using, add some torn zucchini flowers and stir.
Remove the frying pan from the heat. Working swiftly, add the egg mixture and a splash of pasta cooking water. Stir and swoosh energetically until the creamy sauce glides over each pasta strand. Add a little more pasta cooking water if it seems dry and stir again.
Roughly tear up the basil and/or mint and scatter over the pasta. Serve immediately.
*adapted from Rachel Roddy “Linguine with Courgettes, Egg and Parmesean” in Five Quarters: Recipe and Notes From A Kitchen in Rome (2015)
