This is easy to make, and it doesn't take too much time to prepare (it usually depends on your ability...)... let's say you can start preparing the sauce one hour in advance (but 1/2 hour could be enough) BUT REMEMBER that pasta has always to be prepared at last!
This recipe is for 2 people, because I think it's very good for a tete-à-tete (meaning romantic dinner for 2!): it's very light, sweet, delicate.
Ok Ingredients for the sauce: 5-6 zucchini flowers (they are italian I guess, I'll add a picture), 2 zucchini, saffron (zafferano for the italian speaking...), 1/2 onion, olive oil, salt, 150 gr of cream;
Pasta: 250 gr tagliatelle (they are the best for this recipe, but you can also use some short pasta, like maccheroni or better fusilli or farfalle ---> see the pictures! in this case you just need 200 gr at most!)
How to proceed.
First of all you have to clean the zucchini flowers. Take out the corolla (the orange-yellow part) and put it in a bowl with water very delicately! You can leave the flowers there for 1 minute, then take them out and put them on a piece of blotting paper to dry.
Wash the zucchini and cut them in pieces (you can cut them following the length in four part and then proceed like you were doing rounds!), put them in a bowl.
Take a big pan, pour some olive oil in it (it has to cover the bottom of the pan), then cut the 1/2 onion in very small pieces and put the pan on the stove. Before the onion fries, put the zucchini in the pan. They have to stay on the fire 2-3 minutes.
In the meanwhile put the saffron in half glass of hot water (it has to melt... yellow color!), then pour the water on the zucchini while they're cooking and cover the pan. Before the water is completely absorbed put down the flowers cut following the petals. When the water is completely absorbed you can put some salt (at your taste) and finally the cream. Leave on fire for 2 minutes, then turn the gas off.
Now prepare the pasta. You need 300 gr of tagliatelle and a big pot. Put a lot of water (it has to be enough to cover all the tagliatelle, then you need more than half pot of water), put the pot in the stove and wait till it boils. Then pour some salt in the water and one minute after put the tagliatelle in the boiling water. They usually need not more than 2-3 minutes to be ready, but read the instruction on the box. In the meanwhile turn the fire on under the pan with the sauce. When they're ready strain the tagliatelle and put them on the pan with the sauce. Mix them well with the sauce (if you want you can add some grated parmesan cheese while mixing) and turn the fire off.
Here you are with your first dish! Your partner would be amazed ;)
