Ingredients
- 1–2 small to medium zucchini, sliced in very thin rounds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal)
- 10–15 cloves (1 head) garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8–12 high-quality anchovy filets packed in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
- 16 squash flowers: 8 chopped into 1-inch pieces, 8 left whole
- 1 pound spaghetti, capellini or linguine
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lemon wedges
- 2 ounces grated pecorino
- 1 cup homemade breadcrumbs, toasted
Preparation
Toss zucchini with a splash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and let marinate. This will soften and tenderize the raw zucchini. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large sauté pan, heat ½ cup olive oil on medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic and stir until it just starts to color pale brown (but watch carefully so it doesn’t get darker and burn). Add anchovies, chopped squash flowers, a few grinds of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon to taste. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente and reserve some of the pasta water. Toss hot pasta into the aglio e olio, adding a bit of pasta water as needed to coat. Taste and add salt if needed. (Between salted pasta water and anchovies, it should be salted enough.) Lastly, fold in the zucchini, whole squash flowers and pecorino. Top with breadcrumbs and additional pecorino if desired.