Rachel Roddy Recipe: Linguine con Zucchine

Linguine con zucchine
Linguine with courgettes, egg and Parmesan

We make this a lot, since, as you may or may not have gathered, we are creatures of habit, especially when it comes to lunchtime pasta. The principle is similar to that of classic carbonara, and like carbonara, it is simple, but finding that point where the eggs are creamy but not scrambled does take a bit of practice. You could of course use spaghetti, but I love linguine here. Its strands, like flattened spaghetti (a similar shape to the strips of courgette) have a way of wrapping themselves around your tongue in a most over- familiar way – after all, linguine does mean ‘little tongues’.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

1 small white onion or 4 spring onions

300 g courgettes

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

500 g linguine

2 whole eggs, plus 2 extra yolks

100 g grated Parmesan a few basil leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil. Thinly slice the onion and cut the courgettes into 5-cm long, 2-mm thick strips. In a large frying pan, warm the olive oil over a medium heat, then cook the onion and courgettes gently with a pinch of salt, turning them regularly with a wooden spoon, until they are very soft and tender – about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add salt to the boiling water, stir, then add the linguine, fanning it out and using a wooden spoon to gently press and submerge the strands. Cover the pan until the water comes back to the boil, then remove the lid and continue cooking until it is al dente (check the cooking time on the packet and start tasting at least 2 minutes earlier).

While the pasta is cooking, in a largish bowl whisk together the eggs, extra yolks, cheese, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. During the last minute of pasta-cooking time, put the frying pan back on the heat to warm both the fat and vegetables. Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan, stirring so it tangles with the courgettes. Remove from the heat

and add the egg and cheese mixture and a little cooking water. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together vigorously so that each strand is coated with a creamy sauce, adding a little more cooking water if the sauce is too stiff. Tear the basil and add it to the pan. Serve immediately.

Extract taken from Five Corners published by Hodder & Stoughton 2015. Photography © Rachel Roddy 2015.
Five Corners by Rachel Roddy is published by Hodder & Stoughton.