Pasta with zucchini ragu’ 

The zucchini sauce is used for many pasta recipes. Most of the time in white, however, with a surprising variety of combinations. Not only fried zucchini with pepper and pecorino cheese or with garlic, oil and chili, but also zucchini with speck and cream, with sausage, with garlic, walnuts and dried fruit, with cheese and eggs, with parmesan cheese and saffron, with Genoese pesto, with goat cheeses and spring onions, with shrimp and much more.

The so-called "campagnola" zucchini sauce, that is, with tomato and other vegetables, is more monotonous in terms of variety. In turn  compared to white zucchini sauces, which have a greater local typicality it is however widespread almost everywhere. Indeed, just everywhere if we consider few variations on the theme, which generally concern the use of different fats: oil or butter, sausage or speck. In addition, of course, to the presence of other vegetables, especially garlic, onion, peppers and eggplant.

For this recipe the best zucchini are conventional long and cylindrical, green in color. They can be cut julienne not too fine, as I did, but also diced or sliced. The important thing is that they have a size that allows proper cooking. That is, a quick cooking: a few minutes, in order to preserve at the same time the green color of the skin and the soft color of the pulp, safe guarding at the same time the fine and fresh taste. The cheese of the recipe is grana padano (or parmesan) because by far the most used everywhere. However, this zucchini sauce lends itself well to different cheeses. In particular, it is excellent with salted ricotta, but in the center south I also enjoyed it with sweet and seasoned caciocavalli and provolone cheese. In the north it is perfect with mature mountain pasture cheeses, but with a delicate flavor.

Ingredients

360 g pasta

300 g zucchini

40 g bacon

250 g tomato pulp

1 onion

parsley

pepper or chili pepper

Grana Padano

extra virgin olive oil

Procedure

Wash the zucchini and clean them by cutting off the ends, then cut them into rather thick julienne. Cut the bacon into small pieces and brown over low heat in a pan for a couple of minutes with 3 tablespoons of oil. Then add the finely sliced onion and let it dry for as long as necessary, always over minimum heat. Add the tomato puree, mix well, raise the heat slightly and cook for 10 minutes with the lid

Season with salt, season with ground pepper (or with a piece of chili) and incorporate the zucchini. Let them cook for the few minutes necessary for their proper cooking: from 5 to 8 minutes depending on the variety and how they were cut. They do not have to split, but since it is a zucchini sauce and not a side dish, it is good that they are not even too al dente. The ideal is that they have the same consistency as the dough. One minute before turning off, add a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Drain the pasta al dente and season with the zucchini sauce over it. Complete with 2-3 tablespoons of grated Grana Padano cheese and serve immediately, hot.