I gamberi e le zucchine si sono innamorati – Penne integrali con gamberi, zucchine, e pomodori al peperoncino

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Yes, they are…they are a great match! I had wonderful gnocchi in Italy a long time ago with shrimps and small diced zucchini – Gnocchi were small, and the sauce absolutely divine. When I make this combination, I always think about those gnocchi. My sauce has less tomato, I don’t want to drown the shrimps in a tomato sauce but I like the moist texture you get when adding one or two tomatoes to the other ingredients.

I know some French people think pasta is boring and that Italians eat tons of it…The first one is false and the second one is true. All my Italians friends and relatives eat pasta almost every day. I don’t, but once a week or every two weeks is a must.

I remember once, a cousin of mine came to France to visit on his honeymoon, he is a great and sweet guy, but never went out of his country, always lived in a small Italian town called Fossombrone in the Marche region, and never been exposed to other cuisines other than his mothers, and the only think he would eat every day was spaghetti with tomato sauce (spaghetti al pomodoro). My mom was going crazy, I thought it was funny to not even want to try out French gastronomy. I guess when your palate has been used and trained to like certain flavors, everything else tastes weird. I remember some Indian friends as well who who put ketchup and chili on anything they would eat.

Anyway, if you like shrimps and zucchini, you would love this pasta dish, it’s simple but the flavors blend wonderfully.

Ingredients for 2

  • 1/3 lb whole wheat penne or (160 g)
  • 1/3 lb shrimps
  • 3 zucchini, sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, seedless and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • hot chili pepper
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs parlsey
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and stir for a few minutes to get flavor out. Add tomatoes and zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomato starts to thicken and zucchini to cook but still firm. Do not overcook the zucchini or they’ll get mushy. Add shrimps and chili. Cook until the shrimps are cooked.

Cook pasta al dente, drain and add to the sauce. Mix well. sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.