Sautéed Italian Zucchini With Hazelnut Pesto
Sautéed Italian zucchini with hazelnut pesto and shaved parmesan is one of my favorite summer small plates. It works well as a vegetarian first course or as a side dish to a main course.
Ingredients
- 800 grams (1.75 lb) Italian zucchini or baby courgettes
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 20 grams (¼ cup) Parmesan shaved, to garnish
For the pesto
- 75 grams (⅔ cups) Hazelnuts
- 50 grams (⅓ cups) Pinenuts
- 1 clove Garlic
- 50 grams (2 cups) Basil leaves
- 40 grams (½ cup) Parmesan cheese or Pecorino (grated)
- 30 ml (⅕ cups) Olive oil
- ½ Lemon Juice and zest
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
For the pesto sauce
- Preheat the oven to 170C/340F and place the hazelnuts on an oven tray. Roast hazelnuts for around 10 minutes or until fragrant. Remove them to a bowl to cool and replace with the pine nuts. Roast the pine nuts for 5 minutes until browned.
- Once the hazelnuts have cooled, rub them between slightly damp hands so the skins flake off.
- Blanch the basil leaves by dipping them in a saucepan or bowl of freshly boiled water, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry.
- Blend all the pesto ingredients until you reach your desired consistency, adding more oil to loosen the pesto into a sauce. Leave some hazelnuts and pine nuts whole to garnish.
For the Italian zucchini
- Top and tail the Italian zucchini and slice each one into 3 evenly sized pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium until it glistens, then saute the zucchini in batches until browned. Sprinkle with a little salt to help them release their water and cook faster.
- Serve the sautéed Italian zucchini on warm plates drizzled with hazelnut pesto and topped with parmesan shavings, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
Store the pesto in the fridge in an airtight container with plastic food wrap covering the surface and use within 3-4 days.
You can use full-size zucchini or courgettes, but they will contain more water and may not have the same firm texture after frying.
Nutrition
Calories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 11gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 795mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1178IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 180mgIron: 3mg
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