Pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies

Name: Pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Linguine pasta 11.5 oz; Zucchini flowers to be cleaned 4.5 oz; Anchovies in oil 1.1 oz; Garlic 1 clove; White wine 1.5 oz; Lemon peel 1; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Lactose Free

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Sebastian Fitarau

Pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies is a summer dish built around a single structural trick: the sauce is completely finished by the time the pasta is done. Fresh zucchini flowers and oil-packed anchovy fillets come together with a splash of white wine and a grating of lemon zest while the water boils, so nothing waits and nothing rushes.

The technique that pulls it together is mantecatura — vigorously stirring starchy pasta cooking water into extra virgin olive oil at the finish until the sauce turns glossy and creamy without any cream. That emulsification is what separates this from a loose, oily result, and it works equally well with spaghetti or linguine. The anchovies dissolve into the oil, the lemon zest cuts through the richness, and the zucchini flowers stay tender and mild against both.

How to prepare Pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies

To prepare the pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies, gently clean the zucchini flowers by removing the internal pistil 1, then tear them into smaller petals. Place a pot filled with salted water on the heat 2 and bring it to a boil. Cook the linguine for a couple of minutes less than the time indicated on the package 3.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a frying pan pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the garlic 4, the lemon zest 5 and half of the anchovies called for in the recipe 6.

Let it gently sauté over low heat for a few minutes, just enough time for the anchovies to dissolve, then deglaze with the white wine 7. Let the alcohol evaporate and then add the zucchini flowers 8 (reserve a small handful to add at the end). Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan 9.

Drain the pasta al dente, reserving some of the cooking water, transfer it to the pan with the sauce 10 and finish cooking it, stirring constantly. If necessary, add a bit of the cooking water to keep the sauce creamy 11. At this point add another 3 anchovy fillets 12.

Also incorporate the remaining zucchini flowers 13 and mix gently for about a minute to let everything absorb the flavors. Finally, finish the pasta with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 14 and divide the linguine among the plates 15.

Garnish with the remaining anchovy fillets 16, drizzle with the sauce 17 and serve your pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies immediately 18.

Storage

Pasta with zucchini flowers and anchovies is a quick first course to be enjoyed right away.

Tip

To ensure an enveloping creaminess without adding cream or cheese, you should use the binding power of starch through the risottatura technique: drain the linguine very al dente, about 2 or 3 minutes before the time indicated, and transfer them directly to the pan with the sauce over high heat. Add a ladle of the pasta cooking water and move the pan continuously with a rotating motion: the released starch will create a fluid, creamy base that will perfectly coat the linguine.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

Print the recipe