Italy and the EU is struggling with high numbers of infected people, hospital emergency rooms are full, and the vaccine is not coming in fast enough.
We are living last year situation all over again, and we are expecting even more restricted rules for the upcoming Easter weekend.

Roaming the Empty Streets

We still can go for walks and jogs, but somewhat it is not fun as it could be because there isn’t a soul on the streets.

Supermarkets are open, and they are crowded too. Evidently, it is the greatest distraction for most of us, me included.

Yesterday I need to buy zucchini for a dish I wanted to try for the longest time. Actually, I did not need zucchini, because I still had one in the fridge, but who knows? I can’t count on only one “zucchino,” what if I need more? And besides, why waste such a good opportunity to go out and have a purpose.
Then I came home with my purchases, not too many items, as I always want to keep something for the day after, just to have an excuse to go out again.

Back at my zucchini; I wanted to try a new dish because soon the zucchini will be the most popular vegetable on the supermarket shelves and the more uses we have for them the better.

Tagliolini with Zucchini and Saffron

I had seen this dish here and there, but I never got to it. I love both the zucchini and the saffron flavors, so I kept it in mind. I found two versions of it; one with the zucchini cut in small bits, and another where the zucchini are blended, that would make a more “creamy sort of sauce.”

I went for the first one because I enjoy the taste of zucchini. I also chose the fresh pasta, Tagliolini, which is a little thinner than tagliatelle, hence more suitable for the delicate sauce I was going to prepare.

So here we go:

Wash the zucchini and cut them into cubes or thin slices, as you prefer. Put the sliced garlic and zucchini in a pan with 3 tablespoons of oil, add salt and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add a little hot water and cook: the zucchini must remain firm and not fall apart. Now add the saffron powder and pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, so as to melt the saffron. Season with salt if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, drain it al dente, and stir it in a pan with the zucchini and saffron. Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.

Your zucchini and saffron pasta is ready to be enjoyed.