maccheroni alla chitarra with zucchini - lidia bastianich
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In this recipe, careful cooking brings out the wonderful flavor of fresh zucchini to make a lovely dressing for maccheroniTRANSCRIPT
Maccheroni alla Chitarra with Zucchini. By Lidia Bastianich recipe
In this recipe, careful cooking brings out
the wonderful � avor of fresh zucchini to make
a lovely dressing for maccheroni (or other
pasta). As name all’Aquilana suggests, this
has distinctive touches of the cooking of
Aquila, the high inland province of Abruzzo.
The sauce’s � nal enrichment with egg yolks is
a typical embellishment in regional kitchens.
¼ teaspoon toasted saffron threads
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 or 5 small, fi rm zucchini (about 1½
pounds total, or 1 pound zucchini
and 24 fresh zucchini fl owers)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups or so hot water or light
poultry stock
1 cup fi nely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian
parsley
2 large egg yolks for cooking and
fi nishing the pasta
1 batch (1 pound) Homemade
Maccheroni alla Chitarra
1 cup freshly grated pecorino (or half
pecorino and half Grana Padano or
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for a milder
fl avor), plus more for passing
Extra-virgin olive oil, best-quality, for
serving
You will need a heavy-bottomed skillet or
sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger.
To toast the saffron threads: Carefully drop
over a low open � ame for just a few seconds,
toasting the threads very gently-the perfume
will tell you it’s working! Before they overheat,
spill the threads out of the spoon into a bowl
for steeping or grinding, as called for in the
recipe. Put the toasted saffron threads in a
small dish with 2 tablespoons of hot water,
and let them steep.
To cook the maccheroni: heat a large pot of
well-salted water (6 quarts or more) to the boil.
Trim the zucchini, slice them lengthwise
into thin strips, then cut the strips into thin
2-inch- long matchsticks. If you have zucchini
� owers, trim off any remnants of stem, pull
out the inside � laments (the � ower’s stigmas),
and chop the � owers into � ne shreds.
Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, turn on
medium-high heat, and stir in the chopped
onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes,
stirring occasionally, until wilting and
translucent but not browning. Ladle in ½ cup
or so of the hot water or stock, and cook the
onion in the bubbling liquid for a few minutes
more, to soften.
Before the liquid evaporates, scatter the
zucchini matchsticks (and, if using, the
shredded zucchini � owers) into the skillet,
and stir them in with the onion, then add
the chopped scallions and salt. Cook over
high heat, stirring, as the zucchini releases
more juices. Let boil and reduce for a couple
of minutes—again, don’t let the pan get
dry—then ladle in another 2 cups hot water,
stir well, and mix in the saffron threads and
saffron-infused water, and the chopped
parsley. Bring the sauce to a boil, let it
reduce for a couple of minutes to tossing
consistency, then lower the heat to keep
it barely simmering while you cook the
maccheroni alla chitarra.
For cooking and � nishing the pasta: With the
pasta water at a rolling boil, shake excess
� our off the fresh maccheroni, and drop the
strands into the pot, stirring and separating
the strands. Return the water to a full boil,
and cook the pasta for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally, just until al dente.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a mixing
bowl with a small wire whisk, and gradually
whisk in the last ½ cup of hot water, to thin
and temper the yolks.
When the pasta is cooked, lift out the
maccheroni, drain brie� y, and drop them
into the skillet. With tongs, quickly toss
the pasta in the simmering zucchini until
the sauce is well distributed among the
maccheroni strands.
Turn off the heat, and immediately pour the
tempered egg yolks in a thin stream all over
the maccheroni. Keep tossing and tumbling
the pasta, to amalgamate the yolks in the
sauce and cook them in the residual heat.
Next, sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese
over the maccheroni, toss well, then � nish
with a drizzle of olive oil. Toss and heap the
pasta in warm bowls, and serve immediately,
with more cheese at the table. PH
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