Orecchiette with Zucchini and Pancetta

This is one of my recipes. That is to say, it is a recipe that I came up with in my kitchen with a vague end goal in mind without working from any existing instructions. As a 23 year-old who hasn’t been cooking for all that long, it’d be ridiculous for me to claim that I have very many of my own recipes. But this Orecchiette with Zucchini and Pancetta, or “Zucchini Pasta” as I actually call it, is a recipe of mine I use almost weekly during the summer, make often for company, and that I wanted to share first on this blog.

My dad makes a version of this dish. His is very rich, made with lots of cream and cheese. He also shreds the zucchini so it melts down completely into a creamy sauce – this appeals to my many picky brothers who ordinarily wouldn’t eat zucchini. And it is good, but very heavy. When setting out to recreate this family favorite in my own kitchen, I wanted to make my version a bit lighter. Having no need to camouflage the zucchini, I cut them in rounds and cook them long enough so that they are somewhat soft, but still are texturally distinct from the pasta and sauce. For the sauce, rather than use cream, I mix pasta cooking water and grated parmesan to coat the pasta like when making pasta carbonara or cacio e pepe.

I really do make this dish almost weekly in the summer, but because pancetta is a little expensive, I usually use a glamorous store brand pre-cooked center-cut ham steak that I chop into cubes instead. It looks the same and by time the dish comes together it tastes about the same. But because generic slabs of ham are waterier…juicier…than pancetta, the cooking order/proportions of the recipe are different enough that it would be simplest to explain with a separate recipe, which I’ve also included below.

Orecchiette with Zucchini and Pancetta

Cooking time: ~30mins  |  Serves 6

• 1.5 lbs zucchini sliced into thin rounds
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• .5 lbs pancetta, cubed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt, more for pasta water
• .5 tsp. pepper, more to taste
• 1 lb orecchiette (Shells or rigatoni also work well)
• .5 heaping cup grated parmesan
• large handful of fresh basil, torn

 

1. Fill a large pot with water and generously add salt. Leave to boil over high heat.
2. Heat the olive oil in a separate pot or deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until fat starts to render, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook till fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not let brown or burn!
4. Add the zucchini, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat with the rest of the ingredients and lower heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally until zucchini are all soft, some having disintegrated.
5. Once the water is boiling, cook orecchiette according to package directions.
6. Before the orecchiette is finished cooking, ladle out .5 cup of the cooking water and add to the zucchini pot along with the .5 cup of grated parmesan and handful of basil. Mix well. Ladle out additional cooking water and set aside.
7. Drain the pasta and mix in the zucchini pot, adding splashes of additional pasta water if it seems too dry. Add additional black pepper to taste. Serve with grated pecorino romano or more parmesan cheese.

 

Poor Man’s Zucchini Pasta

Same ingredients as above, swapping the pancetta for the largest pre-cooked center-cut ham steak you can find at your grocery store. Cut the ham steak into small cubes.

1. Fill a large pot with water and generously add salt. Leave to boil over high heat.
2. Heat the olive oil in a separate pot or deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not let brown or burn!
3. Add the zucchini and stir to coat in the olive oil and garlic. Lower heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally until zucchini are all soft, some having disintegrated.
4. Add the cubed ham steak and stir to incorporate, cooking for about 3-4 minutes to warm through.
5. Once the water is boiling, cook orecchiette according to package directions.
6. Before the orecchiette is finished cooking, ladle out .25 cup of the cooking water and add to the zucchini pot – because the ham steak has more water than the pancetta, you do not need as much pasta cooking water to create a sauce with the cheese – along with the .5 cup of grated parmesan and handful of basil. Mix well. Ladle out additional cooking water and set aside.
7. Drain the pasta and mix in the zucchini pot, adding splashes of additional pasta water if it seems too dry. Add additional black pepper to taste. Serve with grated pecorino romano or more parmesan cheese.