Zucchini Blossom Pasta Sauce

Zucchini plants produce an awful lot of zucchini! A great way to utilize your zucchini plants is to harvest the blossoms too! Many have heard of stuffed zucchini blossoms that are filled and deep fried, and yes, very good. Why not add them to a pasta sauce? Zucchini Blossom Pasta Sauce is refreshingly different, just a bit rich, and oh so satisfying. If you don’t have access to blossoms, ask a vendor at your local farmer’s market who sells zucchini. More than likely they will have blossoms available.Give it a try!

1-tablespoon butter

1-tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup finely diced celery

1 medium carrot, diced fine

3 green onions, diced using tops and all

2 oz fat-free cream cheese

2 cups fat-free vegetable or chicken stock

1 egg yolk

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons each dried parsley and basil

1-teaspoon black pepper

1-teaspoon salt (optional)

10 -12 zucchini blossoms cut into thin ribbons

¼ – ½ teaspoon saffron

½ cup finely chopped zucchini peel, with just a bit of flesh of zucchini attached

8 ounces of dry pasta, cooked.

Cook 8 ounces of pasta. Set aside.

Heat butter and oil in pan. Add celery, carrot, and onions and cook until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add cream cheese and work with spoon until melted. Slowly stir in stock. Add yolk, stirring constantly until incorporated. Add seasonings. Stir in Parmesan cheese and gently add zucchini blossom ribbons. Add saffron and stir occasionally for 3 – 4 minutes. Add pasta and gently fold into sauce. Immediately prior to serving add zucchini with peel and fold gently. Plate finished pasta and add a drizzle of olive oil and a garnish of Parmesan cheese to each of the four servings.