Saffron brings a golden hue to this fresh combination of zucchini and pasta

Independent

09-06-2025

This pasta dish, a riff on an offering served at Trattoria Bertozzi in Bologna, Italy, is a golden, fresh combination of guanciale (cured pork cheek), fragrant saffron, summery zucchini and short, curly pasta.
In this recipe from our cookbook ' Milk Street Backroads Italy,' we opted for easier-to-find but equally meaty pancetta, and lightened the dish's richness by swapping in half-and-half for the heavy cream.
The restaurant uses gramigna pasta, a tubular, curled shape from the Emilia-Romagna region, but cavatappi or gemelli works just as well, combining with the zucchini and catching the lightly creamy sauce in its crevices.
Saffron is best when steeped in hot liquid to extract its flavor and aroma. To infuse the dish with a golden hue and earthy-floral flavor, we soak a generous pinch of saffron threads in a portion of water before combining it with the pasta.
Don't boil the pasta until al dente. Drain it when it has a little more bite than is desirable in the finished dish; the noodles will cook a bit more in the sauce. Also, don't forget to reserve 2 cups of the cooking water before draining the pasta. Serve with shaved Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Pasta with Zucchini, Pancetta and Saffron
Start to finish: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 pound zucchini
12 ounces short, curly pasta, such as cavatappi or gemelli
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
½ teaspoon saffron threads
3 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled
½ cup half-and-half
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Directions:
Halve the zucchini lengthwise, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Slice each half lengthwise about ¼ inch thick, then cut the strips crosswise into 1-inch sections. In a large pot, boil 4 quarts of water. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water, then drain. In a small bowl, combine 1½ cups of the reserved water and the saffron; set aside the remaining ½ cup water.
While the pasta cooks, in a 12-inch skillet over medium, cook the pancetta and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta has rendered some of its fat and begins to crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic, then stir in the zucchini and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is fully crisped and the zucchini is lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the pasta and the saffron water to the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring, until the sauce is lightly thickened and clings to the pasta, about 1 minute. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. If needed, stir in additional reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time to create a lightly creamy sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with Parmesan.