A simple pasta dish with fresh zucchini and a saffron infused sauce.
Hello?? Is anyone still there??
Sorry for the unexpected, week long vacation from my blog here. This last week has been a little bit taxing, and blogging was just not in the cards for me. My husband had a total knee replacement last Monday. We had planned on me being there for the surgery, and we knew he would be in the hospital for a few days after, but I figured I’d be home for several hours each evening and every night with the baby. But it didn’t quite work out that way. To make a long story short, he had some serious pain issues and I ended up at the hospital almost 24 hours a day, right there with him for moral support. So obviously, blogging wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.
And today is my birthday, (Happy 32nd to me!!), so I’m going to make this quick. I just couldn’t go another day without a blog post!!
I actually made this for dinner last night, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I mostly chose to make it because I had all the ingredients on hand (thank you zucchini plant that is still producing!) and I didn’t want to go grocery shopping. It was super simple, and very delicious. I’d definitely make it again!
- salt
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 pinches saffron
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 small or 2 medium zucchini (about ¾ pound) cut into small cubes or thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- Heat your oven to its lowest setting, then place a large pasta platter or bowl inside to warm. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
- While the pasta is working, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and saffron to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the platter from the oven and scatter the butter on it. Add the pasta, zucchini and saffron-infused stock, then add the cheese and toss vigorously for 1 minute to form a yellow, glossy sauce. Add the reserved cooking water as needed if the sauce is too thick.
Happy Birthday! I was actually thinking that I needed to use my zucchini before it went bad. I am going to make this tomorrow, it look yummy. Thanks!
Happy Birthday! Your blog is great.
Happy Birthday! I've been thinking about you guys — I hope the hubby is doing much, much better now and that you're all getting some much-needed rest!
Oh yeah, and the pasta looks great too. 🙂
Happy Birthday! Have a great day!
That is a wonderful pasta dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
Happy birthday! And hope your husband is feeling much better.
We got really into zucchini pasta this season, but now our plants have really slowed down. I think this past week might have been our last harvest…
K x
Happy Birthday and I'm glad you're back. I hope your hubby is back on his feet soon.
Happy Birthday to you! & I hope your hubs is doing better.
Happy b-lated birthday!!!! I hope your hubby feels better soon!
Saffron sauce, now there's something I've never tried. Saving this one, pasta never gets old at my house :).
so sorry to hear about your hubby, deborah, but on a brighter note, happy birthday! i hope you were able to celebrate appropriately! 🙂
I was wondering where you went. Hope your husband is feeling better. Major surgery is not fun.
This sounds interesting. I've wanted to try a recipe or 2 that uses saffron, but I always balk at the price of it. I should just suck it up and try it. Hope you were able to enjoy your bday.
Great blog and happy birthday!
I have a blog that may interest you and your hubby. It has over 72,000 readers and is mainly about total knee replacement. I had one in February 2008 and have been writing about it every since to help others…
It's at: http://booktoots.wordpress.com
enjoy! Marie B (aka Booktoots)
Oh, happy belated! (I'm SO behind on reading blogs!)
Happy birthday!
Great idea, will aid in utilizing our zucchini harvest, there are so many from 4 plants. My zucchini never get crispy, just tender, soft even, if fried too long.
Cheers from Switzerland, Eric