Pasta con Zucchine Tradizionale
("The Flavours of the Amalfi Coast - Mamma Agata")
The long anticipated Simple and Genuine cookbook is a celebration of Chiara and her mother's love and passion for life through Mamma's cooking and includes Mamma Agata's cherished secret cooking tips and family recipes, as well as some of Mamma Agata's personal memories of cooking for famous celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart, Richar Burton, Liz Taylor, Fred Astaire, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Pierce Brosnan. Here is a simple and delicious recipe from the new book.
Serves 4
400 gr or 14 oz Short Pasta (such as penne)
1 kg or 2 - 2 ¼ lb zucchini (sliced into ¼ inch discs)
100 gr smoked Provolone or Gouda cheese (chopped into small cubes)
50 gr Parmigiano cheese (grated)
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves Garlic (finely sliced)
4 Leaves Fresh Basil (torn)
Sea Salt
Wash the zucchini. Remove and discard the tops and bottoms.
Slice the zucchini into discs about ¼ inch thick.
Place the sliced zucchini into a bowl, covering each layer of zucchini with a little sea salt to draw out the water. Let the zucchini sit for about 5 to 10 minutes in the colander and drain the water. Thinly slice the garlic. Add the olive oil and garlic to a large sauce pan at the same time. NOTE: Do not heat the oil first, then add the garlic to the pan, but rather place the ingredients into the pan at room temperature and then heat the pan. Cook over a low flame in a large non-stick skillet until golden brown. Add the zucchini, a pinch of salt, and the torn basil leaves to the oil and stir.
Mamma Agata Secret
Mamma Agata always covers the pan and cooks the combined ingredients for five minutes to enhance the many different flavors in the pan.
Cook the pasta in salted water until it is al dente and drain.
NOTE: A pasta noodle that is short in length, such as penne, is ideal for this dish.
Add the pasta to the pan of zucchini. Stir the ingredients well and continue to cook over a low flame for a few additional minutes.
Mamma Agata Secret
Mamma Agata adds Smoked Provolone or Gouda Cheese to pan of zucchini at the very end of the cooking process - just before serving to her guests.
Remove from heat, plate and serve with Parmigiano cheese.
Serve hot!
The Flavours of the Amalfi Coast 
Wine Tasting on the Amalfi Coast 
Peru has become a new and popular culinary destination as featured in Newsweek, NY Times, Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast, etc. This tour mixes a taste of native, "criolla" and traditional food with the trendy fusion through hands-on cooking classes, demonstrations and tasting menus. All of this is wrapped up within a framework of history and culture that explains every part of the tour and helps our guests understand the origin of all these great tastes. Taste of Peru for foodies has the best balance for someone with some experience or just the love for food. 
