‘The main act’: the green gourds take centre stage in Alice Zaslavsky’s roast zucchini with butter crumbs.‘The main act’: the green gourds take centre stage in Alice Zaslavsky’s roast zucchini with butter crumbs.Last modified on Wed 16 Nov 2022 14.02 GMT
Come summer, whether you’re a kitchen gardener, a farmers’ market meanderer or a specials seeker at the shops, everything’s coming up courgettes, or zucchini, depending on who you ask.Subject to how much heat you apply, or how much acid or salt you add to break it down, or what starch you bind it with, zucchini sits on a continuum of freshness and density.
Some people blanch zoodles, but I prefer to scald them. Pop the zoodles into the colander that’s about to catch your cooked pasta, and pour the contents of the whole pot over them. Toss with olive oil and your pasta sauce and serve. If your dish is all-zoodle, just pour a kettle of boiling water over them to scald. Pouring your hot sauce over the raw zoodle will give you an al-dente result.
Spiralisers don’t have to be hefty electrical attachments, either. My favourite kind is like a giant pencil sharpener, with two girths to choose from. Always choose the wider noodle for scalding, and save the skinny version for spiralised zucchini bits to toss into stir-fries, fritters or salads. For salads, the acid in your dressing will “cook” the noodles just enough to soften.