pennette with zucchini, zucchini blossoms and ricotta

pennette con zucchine, fiori e ricotta

6 servings

This simple pasta dish is a great introduction to cooking with zucchini blossoms. Pennette is shorter and thinner then penne, but you can use that pasta in its place.

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Ingredients

Coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 pound zucchini, thinly sliced crosswise
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh marjoram
12 large zucchini blossoms, stems and pistils removed
1 pound pennette
9 ounces fresh ricotta cheese (scant 1 1/4 cup)
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and marjoram; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes more. Stir in zucchini blossoms and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl. Add zucchini mixture and ricotta; stir to combine. Moisten with pasta cooking liquid, if desired.

Serve drizzled with oil and sprinkled generously with pepper.

July 2009