Sauteed zucchini merges with rich oyster sauce and lots of garlic to make a sauce to cling to long spaghetti strands.

Zucchini Spaghetti

Serves 4

This pasta was inspired by Spaghetti alla Nerano, the pasta dish made widely known in America specifically by Stanely Tucci. I took some of the techniques from the original to make this tasty pasta where sauteed zucchini merges with rich oyster sauce and lots of garlic to make a sauce. What results is garlicky pasta with creamy bites of zucchini and an unexpected depth.

I use the broken-down zucchini mixed with pasta water and vigorous shaking while tossing to add creaminess because I do not always have Pecorino or Parmesan on hand. To make up for some of the flavor they would impart I use nutritional yeast, not the same but it plays the part nicely. If you’d like, you can lighten the richness of the final dish by tossing some freshly chopped parsley through the pasta right before serving. Serve with a few vegetable banchan to finish off your meal.

Ingredients

1 T vegetable oil

1 T olive oil

795g (1.75 lbs) zucchini, sliced 0.25 in thick

15 garlic cloves, sliced

1.5 t ground black pepper

1 t mushroom bullion

0.50 t ground Sichuan pepper

0.50 t gochugaru

2 T oyster sauce

4 T soju

*2 T nutritional yeast

1.5 t rice vinegar

500g (a little more than 1 lb) spaghetti

Recipe Know-how

1.      Put a large pot of water on to boil.

• Cover a plate with paper towel and set aside.

2.      In a large saute pan over medium-high heat the oils.

• Working in batches, cook the zucchini for 5 – 7 minutes turning twice until golden on both sides.

• Remove the cooked zucchini to the paper towel-lined plate and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.

Be careful not to salt heavily or to accidentally salt the batches multiple times as it will make the final dish too salty.

• Repeat with the remaining zucchini adding more oil as necessary for each batch.

3.      Reduce heat to medium and add 1 T of olive oil to the pan.

• Add the garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown.

• Add the peppers, and bullion and cook for 30 seconds.

• Add ¾ of the cooked zucchini to the pan and saute for 1 minute.

• Add the oyster sauce and continue to cook for 1 minute longer.

• Deglaze with the soju, cooking for 1 minute or until mostly reduced.

• Reduce the heat to as low as possible and keep warm.

Continue on to Step 4.

4.      Salt the pasta water and add the pasta.

• Cook for 2 minutes less than package directions stirring occasionally.

After the pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, continue on to Step 5.

5.      Add 250ml (1.25 c) of the pasta cooking water to the sauce and increase heat to medium-high.

• Add the nutritional yeast and vinegar.

• Simmer stirring occasionally until the pasta is ready.

• Add the pasta and remaining zucchini and toss constantly to coat while shaking the pan.

• Add additional pasta water as necessary to coat well.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

6.      Serve.