Italian•gourmet

Zucchini Flower Pasta, Risotto Style

This easy to make risotto style pasta with zucchini flowers and zucchini is creamy and delicate and perfect for when you have guests.

Ingredients

300 g corallini pasta ((10oz) or other small pasta like orzo)
2-3 zucchini
8 zucchini flowers
500 ml vegetable broth (2 cups (you may need less))
50 g butter ((2oz) unsalted)
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano (grated (2oz) vegetarians should use cheese made without animal rennet.)
200 g fresh stracciatella ((7oz) or fresh ricotta)
salt (to taste)
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

1
Wash the zucchini and cut into small cubes. I made some zucchini rounds for decoration. Cut the flowers in half and remove the stamens. Cream the Stracciatella using a immersion blender
2
Sauté the zucchini rounds and then the cubes in a frying pan with olive oil. Place the rounds on kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil.
3
Put 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan and toast the corallini pasta for a few moments. Add some hot vegetable broth a little at a time and cook the pasta. You will need to keep stirring and adding more broth as necessary (same as making a risotto) until the pasta is almost cooked.
4
Then add the zucchini cubes to the pasta and mix together.
5
When the pasta is ready take off the heat and mix in some zucchini flowers. Then mix in in the butter and Parmigiano. Plate and serve with a tablespoon of creamed stracciatelle on top plus some uncooked zucchini flowers and the zucchini rounds.