Spaghetti with Zucchini and Vernaccia di Oristano

This dish is the essence of Sardinia: it uses simple ingredients and a local wine that adds a lot of avor and really makes the dish. I use Contini Vernaccia di Oristano, a wine with concentrated avor and a lot of personality. Serves: 4 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 large zucchini, cut into quarters length-wise and then sliced into 1/8-inch slices 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 cup Vernaccia di Oristano* 1 cup young pecorino, grated coarsely salt to taste 2/3 package spaghetti

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1. Warm up the extra virgin olive oil in a large (11-inch) pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the zucchini, lower the heat to low, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the Vernaccia, turn up heat to medium-high and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the wine is reduced by about 1/3 and the alcohol has evaporated. Turn the heat down to very low and continue to cook for another 5 minutes for the avors to blend. 2. In a large pot, heat up 1 gallon of water and add 1 Tablespoon sea salt. When the water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook until the pasta is almost al dente, 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with the zucchini. Take the pasta and zucchini off the re, add the pecorino and toss for the cheese to start melting. 3. Serve with toasted pane carasau. 4. The dish pairs perfectly with Contini Karmis Biano Tharros. *If you cannot nd Vernaccia di Oristano, you can use Vermentino or another white wine with fresh green avors, but Vernaccia has a concentration that gives this dish richness.

Click here to learn more about Viktorijas food and wine project. For more tasty recipes visit www.olivacooking.com.