Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini is a favorite summer squash. It can be confused with a cucumber, but zucchini has a little crown at the blossom end and a cucumber does not. It can be prepared and served using a variety of methods including raw, baked, mashed, fried. Seasonings that pair well with it include basil, marjoram, oregano, and/or rosemary. When shopping for it, look for those that have an even shape, smooth skin, and heavy for its size.

On of the more popular preparation methods in the past few years is Zoodles. This is mostly a method of cutting the vegetable so that it resembles pasta. It is a great alternative if you are avoiding carbs or have a reaction to flour. It is also just kind of fun to say. Zoodle!

“Spaghetti”

For this you will need a device called a spiralizer. Kind of like it sounds, it turns firm vegetables and fruits into a continuous stream of curly food by rotating around it. It is sort of like a large pencil sharpener. They are relatively inexpensive and come in several options.

A hand-held version is very inexpensive and easy to store. However, they don’t have the power that others do since their blade is limited. There are counter top models that will clamp or suction cup onto your work station. They often come with several interchangeable blades so that you can control the thickness of the spirals. They will need more room to store. There are also attachments that will work on a stand mixer. Obviously, this will be a bit pricier.

“Angel Hair”

The easiest way to handle this cut is with a julienne peeler. This looks just like a traditional vegetable peeler but it has a serrated blade. It leaves you with tiny, thin noodles that are about the same thickness as an angel hair pasta.

“Fettuccine”

Just like the pasta, this is thin but wider noodles. The simplest way to make them is with a mandoline. (Note: mandolin is the instrument; this is a hand-held kitchen appliance.) This is a slicer that is a flat surface with a very sharp blade. The width of the blade can be adjusted to the thickness of what you want to cut. You move the vegetable or fruit with your open palm on the upside of the food using a sliding motion across the blade and you get uniform slices. Warning!! This blade is incredibly sharp and when the food gets close to the blade, it is quite probably you will slice into your own palm. If you want to work with this tool, invest in a guard that will protect your hand from damage.

Another option would be to use a vegetable peeler that has a broad enough opening to give you a thick enough cut.

Anyway, after you have these planks, you can use your chef’s knife to cut into strips.

“Lasagna”

Just like the planks outlined above, use a mandoline with great care, vegetable peeler, or favorite knife. Then you have strips that you can substitute for your next veggie lasagna. You can also just use your chef’s knife and cut them evenly.

“Pappardelle”

This size is just like the fettuccine but wider. Use the same techniques above.

Tips

Zucchini has a lot of liquid. Some cooks like to reduce that by allowing the slices to sit on paper towels to absorb some of the moisture, or even wringing them out in a clean kitchen towel.

These Zoodles will cook quicker than ordinary pasta. Also, since they are sliced thinly, they will cook quickly. It is suggested that you add them to your dish for only a minute or two or three to avoid them becoming soft and mushy and to stir more frequently. For use in lasagna, however, the cook time will be approximately the same.