Dirt Candy’s Zucchini & Pasta Noodles with Garlicky Yogurt Sauce

I celebrated a milestone birthday earlier this summer. Part of my birthday celebration was inspired by this dish. 🙂

The James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Dirt Candy in NYC, Amanda Cohen, was featured on Sara Moulton’s PBS series. She prepared a cocktail along with this zucchini dish from her menu. Dirt Candy is a very unique vegetarian restaurant and I knew the only way I could get my entire family to dine there was for a birthday meal. We went for a birthday brunch celebration and then spent the day enjoying NYC.

Cohen explained that although she is not a vegetarian, she feels that a chef can be much more innovative when creating dishes without being limited by simply pairing sides with a protein. The brunch menu included a mushroom coffee cake on our visit. My son ate the whole thing! Our favorite dish was the Brussels sprout tacos, served with lettuce wraps and a platter of small bowls of topping choices. Delicious. We finished our meal with cucumber sorbet topped with a birthday candle. 🙂

The zucchini pasta recipe was adapted from Sara Moulton.com. I modified the proportions and the method. The saffron made the dish exceptional. I also made homemade Greek yogurt labneh to incorporate into the dish. The labneh recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit via epicurious.com, contributed by Tom Scherlitz.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

To Make Greek Yogurt Labneh: (Makes about 1 1/2 cups)

• 2 cups plain 2% Greek yogurt
• cheesecloth

1. Line a large sieve with cheesecloth; set over a medium deep bowl.
2. Place yogurt in sieve. Gather edges of cheesecloth to cover yogurt. Place in refrigerator and let drain for 2-3 days. (I let it drain for 48 hours.
3. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid; discard liquid in bowl (yogurt will be very thick and resemble soft goat cheese).

For the Zucchini Pasta Dish:

• 2 to 3 medium zucchini or 4 cups baby zucchini (I used 2 1/2 medium zucchini)
• 6 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
• pinch of saffron
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups labneh, recipe above
• 1 to 2 pounds zucchini spiral noodles
• 8 to 12 oz angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1/4 cup chiffonade basil or mint
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup squash blossoms sliced thinly, optional
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. If using medium zucchini, slice in half and then into 1/4″ half moons. If using the baby zucchini , cut into rounds.
2. Toss the cut zucchini with 4 T of the olive oil.
3. Grill over high heat until the zucchini has developed char marks, about 3-4 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, cook the angel hair pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.
5. In a pan over medium heat add the remaining 2 T of olive oil, saffron and the garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute, turn the heat to low and add the labneh and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water.
6. Stir slowly, incorporating everything together.
7. Toss the sauce with the zucchini noodles, the angel hair pasta, the herbs, the lemon juice, and the lemon zest.
8. Adjust seasonings and then divide between 4 bowls.
9. Sprinkle each bowl with the squash blossom ribbons, if using, as well as minced herbs, as desired.