Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumber and Lemon

To anyone else except the FFWD group, this is just a plate piled with unfathomable green and white stuff. To us it´s a lovely salad, Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumber and Lemon. In my case it should be zucchini and cucumber tagliatelle because I made faux pasta with both vegetables.

So, say you want to eat healthier and lighter. Well, recipes like this can fool you into feeling you are having a great and succulent meal. For a while at least, then you might dive into the broken potatoes and steak you also made, or the strawberry tart that´s sitting pretty outside in the terrace waiting to be shot for the Sunday post, the same terrace where you´re enthusiastically eating said salad. It is a good recipe mind you, though sweltering weather would probably be mandatory before attempting to have it for lunch. By itself.

I had never made ribbons, though they appear profusely almost everywhere from TV shows to blogs to restaurants. I used a vegetable peeler and it really takes a minute. And they are so cute!

So the zucchini and cucumber tagliatelle first, then some chopped onion, which in my case where green onions, a few gratings of lemon zest (was there a zesting life before the microplane? It doesn´t seem that way), some lemon juice, salt, pepper, chopped mint and, in my case, olive oil and chopped toasted pistachios. The original recipe calls for pistachio oil… let´s not even discuss it, shall we?

After looking at the final plate and thinking that I had completely missed some ingredients, which I had not, the final result was crunchy, fresh, just about everything I expected. I had even remembered that it had to stand for 1 hour in the fridge after everything was mixed. Well, I completely disagree. I made it twice and the second time I made the ribbons, salted them a bit and left them for half an hour in the fridge. I then drained the extra water, continued with the recipe and ate it immediately. They were much better. Still crunchy and the flavors were all distinguishable and harmonious at the same time. No watery mess in the bottom of the plate.

And another key ingredient for me was the black pepper. Lots of it. Worked perfectly with the lemon and the nuts.

This is a lovely salad for a summer barbecue. Or to have on top of some quinoa, like Cher suggests.