Pasta With Zucchini And Lemon Caper Sauce Recipes

LEMONY COURGETTE LINGUINE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water.
• Meanwhile, slice the courgettes lengthways, then again into long matchsticks with good knife skills or using the julienne cutter on a mandolin (use the guard!).
• Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the courgettes.
• Cook for 4 minutes, tossing regularly, while you finely slice the mint leaves, then stir them into the pan.
• Toss the drained pasta into the courgette pan with a splash of reserved cooking water.
• Finely grate in most of the Parmesan and a little lemon zest, squeeze in all the juice, toss well, then taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
• Dish up, finely grate over the remaining Parmesan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil before tucking in.

LEMON CAPER BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Crush capers in a small bowl with the back of a spoon.
• Melt 1/2 teaspoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams and is golden; saute capers until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add lemon juice, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by one-third, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Stir cold butter and savory into lemon mixture, stirring constantly until butter is completely melted and sauce is shiny and thick, about 1 minute.

LEMONY PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just under al dente, 1 minute less than package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini or other squash: Season chunks with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the squash in one layer (you may need to do this in two batches) and cook undisturbed until it begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside. Taste and season again, if necessary.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until the garlic becomes translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the squash back to the pan along with the lemon juice and half the lemon zest. Toss to combine.
• Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss to combine. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the grated cheese, and toss until the cheese emulsifies and is silky. If needed, add an additional 1/4 cup pasta water or more to loosen. Add the fresh herbs and toss again. Top with additional herbs and the remaining lemon zest. Serve in bowls, and pass grated cheese at the table. Season with flaky salt, if desired.

TILAPIA WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Sprinkle tilapia with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with flour., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add tilapia; cook until lightly browned and fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan; keep warm., Add broth, lemon juice, butter and capers to same skillet; cook and stir until mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Spoon over tilapia. If desired, serve with pasta and lemon wedges.

CHICKEN WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix together salt and flour in a small dish or plastic bag, then coat chicken and shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in hot oil until both sides are golden-brown, and the inside has turned white and firm, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken, and set aside in a warm place. Pour white wine into the skillet, and allow to boil as you dissolve the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, and allow to come to a boil, cook for a few minutes until reduced by half.
• Sprinkle the cubed butter into the boiling sauce. Swirl and shake the pan vigorously to dissolve the butter, thus thickening the sauce. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily. Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.
• To serve, pour lemon-caper sauce over the chicken, and serve with a wedge of lemon.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI, FETA AND FRIED LEMON

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse pasta with cool water to stop cooking and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking; set aside.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts, if using, and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until walnuts are toasted and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer the walnuts to a small bowl (leaving the oil behind) and season with salt; set aside.
• Add shallots and lemon to the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until both the shallots and lemons are totally softened and have begun to caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes. Add capers and stir to coat in the oil, letting them sizzle a minute or two.
• Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. (Do not be alarmed at the amount of zucchini in the skillet; it will cook down by about half.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the water has evaporated from the zucchini and it has totally softened, become translucent and is beginning to brown at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. (This mixture should be very flavorful and lightly saucy.)
• Remove pan from heat and add pasta, tossing to coat. (If your skillet is very full, you can always transfer everything to a large bowl and toss to coat there.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and top with toasted walnuts, feta and herbs, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND LEMON CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into 1 inch chunks.
• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet and add the zucchini.
• Sauté, tossing once or twice, for 2 minutes.
• Add a couple pinches of oregano, grind in some black pepper (a light dusting), and sauté for 1 minute longer.
• Add some kosher salt and sauté 1 minute then remove zucchini to a plate.
• Add the rest of the olive oil and sauté the garlic for a minute, or until it turns toasty color.
• Deglaze with the juice of 1 lemon and reduce by ~1/2-2/3.
• Add the stock or broth, and reduce by 1/2-2/3 again.
• Off heat, Add butter pinch of oregano, a couple grinds of pepper, and capers.
• Return to heat, add the zucchini back in and cook for 1 minute.
• Add pasta just to reheat.
• Grind in some more pepper.
• Serves 2 for a light lunch.

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON AND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Add the sliced lemons and blanch for 30 seconds. Using tongs, remove the lemons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Dry well.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic to the skillet and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the capers, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes and the blanched lemon slices and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the anchovy paste and brown the lemons, for another 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and remaining teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until parts of the zucchini turn deep brown while some parts remain al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup pasta water to the skillet with the zucchini and stir to deglaze. Use a pair of tongs to remove the pasta directly to the skillet. Sprinkle the bare pasta with the Parmesan and toss well to coat the pasta with the zucchini sauce. (Some of the zucchini should have gotten rather soft, which helps to create a silky sauce.) Add another 1/2 cup pasta water if needed to maintain the sauce. Top the pasta with the herbs and feta and serve.