Penne with Zucchini

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups Ciabatta, ripped into small bite sized pieces
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 zucchini, sliced 1 cm thick
  • 1 large red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • peel of 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
  • 1 cup green olives
  • 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano (use the wild Greek or Sicilian variety if you can get it)
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 400g Italian dried penne, cooked until al dente in plenty of well salted boiling water, drained and ready when the zucchini mixture is ready
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes, cored, chopped 2 cm
  • basil leaves and freshly grated Italian parmesan for sprinkling

Method

  1. Heat a large frying pan over moderate heat.

  2. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the Ciabatta and season with salt and pepper. Fry gently until the bread is crisp and golden. Remove from the heat and then from the pan and reserve.

  3. Place the pan back on the heat, add the remaining oil and the zucchini, onions, garlic, lemon peel, olives, and oregano. Season well and gently fry for about 10 minutes until the zucchini and onions are tender. Turn up the heat and add the wine, mix well, let it bubble and remove from the heat.

  4. Place the hot pasta into a wide warm serving bowl and add the zucchini mixture, the tomatoes and the Ciabatta. Mix well and generously sprinkle with basil and plenty of parmesan.

Notes

Serves 4-6

Original recipe on RNZ