All About Food
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and anything else an epicurean might dream up!
and anything else an epicurean might dream up!
Saturday, April 02, 2005
I Was Being an Herb ~Snob~...
I was not going to make this because it has ~mint~ in it and quite frankly, I was thinking mint=chewing gum, not mint=yummy pasta dish, but...
holy, holy was I WRONG. I could've eaten the whole thing myself. Unassisted. Growling at the rest of my family like a hungry wolf hovering over a rib-eye steak. The mint really added a fresh, summery feel to this dish.
~Fettuccine with Zucchini and Mint~
1 TBSP butter
8 cups cubed zucchini (about 2lbs). Make 'em bite sized cubes...
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 9oz packages fresh fettuccine (I used angel hair and it was still great...)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*Note: If you are one of those people who purchase your Parmesan in a green tube-like container with a shaker thing, STOP IT. Go. Buy yourself a hunk of fresh Parmesan or Asiago or Romano. Get a cheap-o grater with the teeny tiny holes and prepare to be astounded at what you have been missing your whole life when it comes to Italian food. The fresh cheese is wonderful!!!
Ok..on with the preparation.
1. Melt butter in nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic. Saute for 4 minutes our until tender. YOU DON'T WANT SOGGY..JUST TENDER. Remove from heat, stir in chopped mint, salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta and oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and 1/2 tsp pepper. Yield 6 servings about 1 1/2 cups apiece.
Calories 258 (20% from fat); Fat 5.7g (sat 1.3g, mono 2.9g, poly 0.9g); Protein 9.2g; Carb 42.4g; Fiber 7.1g; Chol 45mg; Iron 2.4mg; Sodium 312mg; Calc 64mg;
Photo and recipe from ~Cooking Light~, June 2002.
holy, holy was I WRONG. I could've eaten the whole thing myself. Unassisted. Growling at the rest of my family like a hungry wolf hovering over a rib-eye steak. The mint really added a fresh, summery feel to this dish.
~Fettuccine with Zucchini and Mint~
1 TBSP butter
8 cups cubed zucchini (about 2lbs). Make 'em bite sized cubes...
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 9oz packages fresh fettuccine (I used angel hair and it was still great...)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*Note: If you are one of those people who purchase your Parmesan in a green tube-like container with a shaker thing, STOP IT. Go. Buy yourself a hunk of fresh Parmesan or Asiago or Romano. Get a cheap-o grater with the teeny tiny holes and prepare to be astounded at what you have been missing your whole life when it comes to Italian food. The fresh cheese is wonderful!!!
Ok..on with the preparation.
1. Melt butter in nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic. Saute for 4 minutes our until tender. YOU DON'T WANT SOGGY..JUST TENDER. Remove from heat, stir in chopped mint, salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta and oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and 1/2 tsp pepper. Yield 6 servings about 1 1/2 cups apiece.
Calories 258 (20% from fat); Fat 5.7g (sat 1.3g, mono 2.9g, poly 0.9g); Protein 9.2g; Carb 42.4g; Fiber 7.1g; Chol 45mg; Iron 2.4mg; Sodium 312mg; Calc 64mg;
Photo and recipe from ~Cooking Light~, June 2002.
5 Comments:
Can anyone post recipes here, and do they have to be your own??
Greeks use spearmint as a staple in Greek cooking... mmmmm it brings out such a flavor in food!
M~
P.S. My Wife's Italian. They don't use spearmint as a staple. They use cheese, bread and garlic. And then they fart all the livelong day from the garlic. Eegads!
~Marianna