Zucchini noodles (zoodles)

• 4 mediumzucchini · about 2 lb, spiralized
• 1 tspkosher salt · for drawing out water
• 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 4 clovesgarlic · thinly sliced
• 1/4 tspred chili flakes
• 1 cupcherry tomatoes · halved
• 1/2 cupparmesan · finely grated
• 1/2 wholelemon · juiced, off the heat
• 1 small handfulfresh basil · torn
• black pepper · to taste

Methode

1. 1

   Salt the zoodles and let them sit, this is the whole recipe

   Zucchini is about 95% water. Toss the spiralized noodles with a teaspoon of salt in a colander and let them drain for 10 to 15 minutes. This one step is the difference between springy noodles and a watery pan. Skip it and no amount of cooking will save the plate.

2. 2

   Squeeze them dry in a towel before they touch the pan

   After the salt draws the water out, wrap the noodles in a clean kitchen towel and wring hard over the sink. You will be surprised how much comes out. Dry noodles fry; wet noodles steam and collapse.

3. 3

   Spiralize thick, not thin

   Use the largest spiralizer blade you have, or a julienne peeler for wide ribbons. Thin zoodles turn to mush in seconds. Thicker strands keep a bit of bite even after they hit the heat, which is what you want.

4. 4

   Bloom the garlic in oil first, off to the side of high heat

   Sliced garlic and chili flakes in warm olive oil for 30 to 45 seconds, until fragrant and just barely golden. This builds the flavor base before the zucchini goes in, and it means the noodles cook fast in already-seasoned oil.

5. 5

   Cook hot and fast, two to three minutes maximum

   Screaming-hot pan, noodles in, toss constantly with tongs for two to three minutes. You want them warmed through and just tender, still with a snap. The moment they go floppy they start weeping water, so pull them early; they carry over on the plate.

6. 6

   Add tomatoes at the end so they don't break down

   Halved cherry tomatoes go in for the last 30 seconds, just long enough to warm and split. Cook them longer and they release juice that thins your sauce and waters the whole dish back down.

7. 7

   Finish off the heat with lemon, parmesan, and basil

   Kill the heat, then add the lemon juice, grated parmesan, and torn basil. Parmesan added off-heat melts into a light coating instead of seizing into clumps, and the lemon stays bright rather than cooking dull.

8. 8

   Serve immediately, drain any pooled liquid first

   Zoodles do not hold; they keep releasing water on the plate. Lift them out of the pan with tongs and leave the last spoonful of liquid behind. If you are serving over anything, plate the zoodles first so they are not sitting in a puddle.