Pastados with courgette/zucchini salsa

The garden and the allotment are currently overflowing with produce. I am doing my best to cook with squash, beans, courgette/zucchini and the tomatoes have just started to ripen. Still to come but not quite there yet are the chillies. They are abundant and I am hoping this year to get some naga chillies, fingers crossed.
After making ravioli the other day I was thinking of what else I would do with pasta. I read a recipe for Mexican toastadas and thought I would use pasta instead and I decided to call them pastados. I was thinking about the toppings, carnitas came to mind first but somehow it seemed too obvious. In the end I did a round of the garden and decided to do a courgette, called zucchini in the USA, salsa. Anyone who has grown courgettes knows that each plant will generously produce courgettes until you beg for mercy and can’t even think of what to cook with them any more. I have never made salsa before but why not?!
This was today’s bounty from the garden
Courgette salsa pastados
preparation time 10 minutes
cooking time 0 minutes
serves 6 as a starter
Ingredients
- 2 pasta rounds/pp
- oil for frying
- 1 small yellow courgette, chopped fine
- small green courgette, grated
- 4 tomatoes, chopped fine
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- chopped parsley
- chopped coriander
- 1/2 tbsp agave nectar or runny honey
- a pinch of sea salt
Start by cooking the pasta rounds. Drain them and set aside until it is almost time to serve.
Mix all of the ingredients for the salsa except the agave nectar and the sea salt. Set aside and let the flavours mingle for a little while. You can easily make this in the morning and leave in the fridge.
Heat oil in a small pan and deep fry the pasta rounds, drain as soon as they are crispy.
Add the agave nectar and sea salt to the salsa, taste and scoop up on to the pastadas and serve. The pasta was crispy and the salsa made it fresh and tangy.
After finding a “perfect every time” pasta recipe I can’t seem to stop thinking about what to make next, it is great. One of my friends who came for dinner suggested “pasta empanadas” and why not? The pasta machine is a brilliant addition to my kitchen tools and I am determined it wont be a shelf warmer.
I am bringing a plateful of these to the lovely Angie’s Fiesta Friday. Come and join us for the most fun foodie party around!
Brilliant! Here’s to a world of pastados!!
Hi Elaine I am sure they would be delicious with any of your lovely dips or salsas! 🙂 happy Friday!
I think so too!!! Thank you, and you xx
Why not zucchini salsa indeed?! You’re a genius, Petra. 🙂 I love this idea. Loving your pastados too! Great flavors going on and a superb use for a garden bounty. Yummy. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe with the gang celebrating at Fiesta Friday!
hi Nancy
Ha ha thank you so much! The problem was that I didn’t need too much zucchini! But it worked very well in the salsa and I will do it again! Thank you for co hosting Fiesta Friday! 🙂 x
That’s funny – you came up with your own word; a combination of tostados and pasta! Fits your recipe perfectly. I think zucchini can go in any recipe and be delicious Petra 🙂
hi Juju
Zucchini is a great vegetable. and I agree it goes with pretty much everything. I didn’t know what to call the pastados but they are great and with the salsa I thought some Mexican influence was suitable 🙂 Happy FF!!
I love the name and it sure looks delicious. Happy FF!
🙂 I hope you make them one day if you have the time, I am sure they would go with pretty much anything!
This sounds wonderful! I would never have thought zucchini but love cucumbers so this would be amazing too!
hi Julie
Cucumbers would work a treat! We just got a bit carried away and planted a couple zucchini plants to many and now we have lots! Next year I will have less zucchini and try some cucumber instead! 🙂
Love the idea of Pastados, Petra! You are so innovative! Thank you for bringing it to Fiesta Friday to share with us all.
hi Sandhya
I hope you try them, I loved them and would have easily eaten many more but will do them again 🙂 I am glad you like them! Happy Fiesta Friday and thank you for co hosting!
Brilliant, Petra! Pastados! I love it! And I totally can relate to trying to eat up the abundance of your garden! We have tomatoes coming out of our ears! We eat them at every meal and still have bowls sitting on the counters! Good luck! 😀
hi Julianna
Ha ha it is so wonderful to have your own produce but sometimes I am at a loss as what to cook but what a nice problem to have! Our tomatoes didn’t quite come through this year but we have other things, it is just the way it is some years. I am glad you like the pastados! I will make them again 🙂
Your garden produces some delish looking stuff!
hi Nell
it is amazing at the moment and I am cooking as fast as I can to use it all up! I freeze some but love it freshly picked, it is such a treat. I hope you are enjoying the weekend! 🙂
Yet another delicious salsa with a vegetable that I’d never thought of adding. It sounds amazing!
hi Loretta
It worked very well, I hardly made a dent in my courgette/zucchini supply but hey! It was well worth it 🙂