Cortecce Pasta with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

I should really get a better camera phone if I'm going to keep posting pictures from my phone. But I made this pasta last night and right before digging in I decided to snap a picture and share the recipe with you.

I'm been working on my primis and am getting pretty good if I do say so myself. Primi = first dishes/courses. This one was very simple and very good.

The pasta I used is called cortecce and I bought at a little specialty shop in Isernia in the region of Molise. I decided to use zucchini and cherry tomatoes. It is simple, tasty and not weighed down with a heavy sauce. You can try it yourself using other types of pasta such as fusilli, penne or farfalle (a.k.a. bowtie).

What you need:
1 clove of garlic
5-7 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 medium size zucchini
20-30 cherry tomatoes
400 grams of pasta
salt
grated parmesan cheese

How to:
Boil water and add plenty of salt and a few drops of olive oil to the water. Once it's boiling, add the noodles (duh).
Place 4-5 tablespoons of EVOO in a large saucepan and place over low heat. Add the garlic clove.
Halve and slice the zucchini, and quarter the cherry tomatoes.
Add the zucchini to the olive oil and add a good amount of salt. Stir until zucchini is just cooked - not too soft.
Add the tomatoes and again more salt. Taste. Let that simmer over low heat for at least 10 minutes stirring throughout.
Toss out the garlic clove.
Once the past is about 2 minutes away from being ready - drain it and add the pasta to the saucepan with the vegetables. Keep it over low heat and stir for 1-2 minutes to let it all blend together. Here you can add another tablespoon of olive oil for good measure.

Serve it up with a bit of grated parmesan if you like, or some peperoncino for a kick.

Buon appetito!