Courgette Carbonarra

I recently caught an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Jamie At Home and he featured recipes using courgettes or zucchini.

What struck me about this dish is that the taste matched it’s marvelous presentation. Local zucchini are in season and using green and yellow zucchini will brighten the look of this dish.

I also found that thyme and zucchini complement each other very well. Use fresh thyme for this dish and it’s also an herb that grows quite easily indoors if you have a harsh winter like here in Canada.

I’m offering this dish as my entry for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging hosted byAnna’s Cool Finds.

Here are some “did you knows” about thyme:

• The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing that thyme was a source of courage.
• The essential oil of common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is made up of 20-55%Thymol. Thymol, an antiseptic, is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash.

Courgette Carbonarra

2 cups of penne rigate
1/2 onion diced
2 courgettes (1 green, 1 yellow), quartered, seeds removed then cut on a bias to mimic the shape of penne
1/4 red bell pepper, sliced & cut on a bias to mimic a penne shape
lots of fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 slices of bacon, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
some pasta water

1. Get a large pot of boiling water started. Add salt and boil your penne for 10-12 minutes.
2. In a large fry pan, add your bacon and some water and render the fat from the bacon. Eventually the water will evaporate and the bacon will cook off the fat and brown nicely. Reserve the bacon and take out excess bacon fat, leaving 2 Tbsp in the pan.
3. Add your chopped onion, zucchini, peppers and black pepper. Reduce to simmer for 5 minutes for the veggies to soften. Add your thyme, garlic and wine and simmer until the wine has reduced. Turn off heat and reserve.
4. In a bowl, whisk your egg yolks, cream and Parmesan. Reserve.
5. When your pasta is ready, save some of the pasta liquid. Drain your pasta and add it to the pan. Pour your egg/cream mixture over your veggies. Add some pasta water and toss the pasta to coat well. The residual heat of the pasta should cook your egg/cream mixture without turning it into scrambled egg.