[2] Zucchini noodles, spiralized and ready to cook.

[3] A classic dish of Cacio e Pepe. Here’s a recipe from Philo’s Kitchen.

[4] Red wine complements the flavors of the Parmigiano-Reggiano (photo © DeLallo).

[5] There are spiralizers at all price ranges, from $10 up. This one is $15 (photo © Fullstar | Amazon).

Two years ago, when zucchini noodles became the rage, many of us ran out to buy spiralizers—simple gadgets that turned a zucchini into ribbons of vegetable “pasta.”

You can now buy spiralized zucchini in bags.

A big bowl of pasta with Bolognese sauce and lots of grated cheese can be lightened, both texturally and calorically, and is an attractive substitute.

We’ve previously written about Cacio e Peppe (KAH-chee-oh ay PEP-pay, cheese and pepper), an ancient pasta dish (in fact, one of the most ancient dishes in Italian cuisine).

The classic recipe is a quick one Grated cheese—cacio in Roman dialect, referring to a sheep’s milk cheese like pecorino romano—becomes a creamy, cheesy sauce when mixed with a a few spoons of the hot water used to cook the pasta.

The result: creamy sauce, obtained by combining the best quality Pecorino Romano and a few spoons of the water used to cook the spaghetti. The starch that leaches from the spaghetti into the cooking water combines with the grated cheese in just the right way.

But Good Eggs has taken it one step further in the name of lowering the carbs: They mixed conventional wheat pasta noodles with zucchini noodles.

The recipe is below, but first:

> November 14th is National Cacio e Pepe Day.

> August 8th is National Zucchini Day.

> November is National Pepper Month, celebrating both black peppercorns (Piper nigrum, family Piperaceae) and chili peppers (Capsicum annuum, family Solanaceae), which are not related‡.

> The year’s 20 pasta holidays.

> The different types of pasta: a photo glossary.

> The history of pecorino romano cheese.

> The history of pasta.

> The history of zucchini.

> The history of pasta.

The history of cacio e pepe follows, and below you’ll find the history of zucchini noodles.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CACIO & PEPE

Cacio e Pepe, a Roman dish, was an easy comfort food. The ingredients were very portable and did not spoil. Roman shepherds and travelers needed only water and a fire to create a stick-to-your-ribs meal.

The classic recipe has no butter or cream, ingredients which are used to make creamy Alfredo sauce. There’s just pasta, salted water to cook it, cheese, and ground black pepper. Some modern recipes use a bit of olive oil to bind the ingredients.

All the ingredients are ancient foods:

 
Are you ready to combine the ingredients into a hot dish of pasta…with some zucchini?
 
 
RECIPE: CACIO & PEPE WITH PASTA & ZUCCHINI NOODLES

You can use all pasta, all zucchini, or a mix to lower the carbs.

Ingredients For 2 Main Course Servings

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. While it heats, place the zucchini in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté for about 2 minutes, until al dente. Turn the heat off and cover the zucchini to keep it warm.

2. COOK the spaghetti according to package directions; then drain it, holding back a few tablespoons of pasta water. Add the pasta and half the pasta water to the zucchini pan, and toss together.

3. REMOVE from the heat and toss with the cheese and pepper to taste (Italians go heavy on the pepper). The heat of the pasta and the pasta water should help melt the cheese into a smooth, creamy sauce. Add more hot pasta water as needed to achieve the consistency you desire. If the water has become tepid, microwave it for 30 seconds.

4. GARNISH with parsley and serve. It isn’t part of the official recipe, but we like the crunch of toasted bread crumbs or croutons as a garnish.
 

[6] The word “spaghetti” derives from the Italian word “spago,” which means twine or string. The name for a single spaghetti strand is “spaghetto.”
 
 
THE HISTORY OF ZOODLES, ZUCCHINI NOODLES

Zucchini was bred from other squash varieties in Milan, in the late 19th century. But the trend of spiralizing or julienning it and other vegetables into noodle-like ribbons is a more recent culinary development.

According to Mirriam-Webster, the word “zoodle” is relatively new, with the first known use dating back to the 1990s.

The original Spiralizer vegetable slicer was patented by Japanese inventor Kazunori Hamada of Benriner Co Ltd. in 1993. Here’s what the gadget looked like—a style still made today, although more modern styles have been introduced.

A zoodle is defined as a long, thin strip of zucchini that resembles a narrow ribbon of pasta.

In the U.K., where zucchini is known by its French name, courgette, zucchini noodles are called courgetti. The U.S. took the Italian name for the vegetable, zucchini, from Italian immigrants who came to America between 1880 and 1920 [source].

Ribbons of zucchini named zoodles were launched in 2014 by restaurateur Danny Antin of Danny’s Chinese Kitchen in Bellmore, New York, on the south shore of Long Island [source].

He had customers with gluten sensitivities and wanted to offer a gluten-free option on his menu. He used a spiralizer to turn zucchini into the approximate shape of wheat-based lo mein noodles (soy sauce also contains gluten but gluten-free tamari, a fermented soybean condiment made without wheat, can be substituted).

Noodles & Company, a national restaurant chain with a location not far from Danny’s, added Zoodles to their menu in 2018.

Multiple people are credited with inventing zoodles, or zucchini noodles, including Danny from Danny’s Chinese Kitchen and Noodles and Company:

Driven by the rise of low-carb and gluten-free diet, in 2018, Noodles and Company began selling zoodles as a lower-carb, lower-calorie alternative to pasta.

Zoodles led to the practice of spiralizing apples, beets, broccoli stems, butternut squash, cabbage, onions, and other produce [source: Claude.ai November 14, 2024).
 

[7] You don’t need to buy a spiralizer if you have a mandoline. The mandoline won’t make spirals, but it will make a shape similar to short-cut spaghetti.
 
________________

*Humans can’t live without some sodium. It’s needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers (including the heart muscle and blood vessels), and maintain a proper fluid balance. Here’s more about it from Harvard Medical School.

†Long, thin spaghetti has different names in different regions of Italy; for example, capellini, fedelini, spaghetti alla chitarra and tonnarelli. Spaghetti alla chitarra, also known as maccheroni alla chitarra, is a variety of egg pasta typical of the Abruzzo region in Italy, with a square cross-section about 2–3 mm thick. Tonnarelli is a similar pasta from the Lazio region. In the U.S., you’re most likely to find spaghetti, spaghettini, and vermicelli (angel hair, capelli d’angelo, is too thin for this rich sauce). The widths of all of these strands vary, but not in a significant way to impact the recipe.

‡The New World fruits were first called pepper by Christopher Columbus when he tasted one for the first time on the island of Hispaniola. Because of their heat and spiciness, he thought they were the fruits (they are fruits, not vegetables) from which the Indians (of India) made pepper. The Nahuatl (Aztec) word is chīlli, which the Spanish explorers spelled “chile.”
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Appletinis evoke spring and summer; mulled cider is for the chilly fall and winter.

In-between, how about an Apple Cider Spritz?

We adapted this recipe from one from Elegant Affairs Caterers. The basic recipe is very versatile, and a lesson in the ease of substituting ingredients.

 
RECIPE: AUTUMN APPLE SPRITZ

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the vodka, apple juice, club soda and a squeeze of the lime wedge. Shake with ice until mixed and strain into a Martini glass or a coupe (the “sherbet champagne” glass).

2. TOP a slice of apple with the star anise and float atop the drink.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF LADY (API) APPLES

The Lady is an old French variety, which remains popular in Europe and the U.S. It is known in Europe as the Api, after the forest of Api in Bretagne, in western France, where it is thought to have originated.

It is a petite apple—an adult can finish it in three large bites—with a pleasing aroma and flavor. In photo #2, you can see how many fit into a pint container.

Throughout its history, the Lady apple has been used as much for decoration as for eating apple. Baskets of Lady apples were used to mask unpleasant odors.

Records suggest that Api appeared as a seedling some time before the early 17th century. It soon became popular in France, England and the U.S.

Records also show that the U.S. exported large quantities to England in Victorian times under the name Lady Apple [source].

In modern times, Lady apples are popular in the fourth quarter, as in centerpieces and other holiday decor, along with clementines, evergreen branches and pine cones.

The Lady apple/Api is not directly related to either Pink Lady or Lady Alice apples.
  

[2] Make your own apple chips, or buy our favorites from Bare Fruit.N

But this tip, courtesy of Castello Cheese, goes in a different direction.

Instead of (or in addition to) wedges of crunchy apples, serve your cheeses with an array of apple condiments:

 
Some recipes are below.

What cheeses should you select?

The best pairings are semi-hard cheeses such as Asiago, Blue, Cantal, Cheddar, Comte, Edam, Gruyère, Havarti, Idiazabal, Jarlsberg or Manchego, among others.

For four people, offer two selections. You can include more choices for larger parties.

You can acquire any of these items at a specialty food market, or make your own. Don’t forget the crackers (Finn Crisp (photo #1) goes well here).

A ROSH HASHANAH SPIN

Whether or not you’re Jewish, serve this apple and cheese plate for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

This year, the celebration runs from the evening of Wednesday, September 20th through the evening of Friday, September 22nd.

Apples and honey are a traditional snack to usher in a “sweet” new year.

If you make the Marinated Apples & Raisins recipe below, you’ve got the honey. Otherwise, simply add a jar of honey with a honey dripper, or a piece of honeycomb, to the plate.

Here’s more about the honey and apples tradition.

RECIPE #1: APPLE CHIPS

Apple chips are a deliciously sweet snack chip. They’re low in calories, yet have natural sweetness from the fruit.

Serve them with a cheese board, and also toss some onto a salad with crumbled blue cheese.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 300°F. Wash and dry the apples. Remove the cores and cut the apples into thin slices. As you slice the apples, place the slices in a bowl with the vinegar-water mix so they don’t brown (add more water to the bowl as needed).

2. BRUSH the apple slices on both sides with the melted butter and spread them out, without overlap, on three baking trays covered with parchment.

3. PLACE the trays in the top, middle and bottom of the oven. Cook for about 25 minutes. When you take the apple chips out of the oven, they will still be soft. Let them cool off on a griddle or other flat surface, and they will become crisp.

4. SPRINKLE the apple chips with salt as desired, and serve quickly afterwards to maximize crispness. One of the benefits of store-bought apple chips is that they’ve been dried in a long, slow process that keeps them crisp.
 

RECIPE #2: SPICY APPLE JELLY

This recipe takes store-bought apple jelly, spices it with ginger and glams it up with golden raisins (sultanas). You can substitute conventional raisins if you prefer.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. STIR the jelly, raisins and ginger together. Cover the jelly and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

2. TASTE and season as desired with more ginger, or some allspice.

 
 
RECIPE #3: MARINATED APPLES & RAISINS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. FOLD the apple into wedges into the vinegar. Add the honey and raisins and marinate for at least 15 minutea
 
 
RECIPE #4: QUICK PICKLED APPLES

These are so good, you may want to double the recipe.

Ingredients For The Brine

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. ADD the brine ingredients to a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil and reduce the heat heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

2. WASH and core the apples, leaving the skin on. Cut into 1/8th-inch-thick slices, and cut again as desired (we prefer half-moon/wedge shapes).

[4] When making pickled apples or homemade apple jelly, red skins add color to the final product. They also look nicer when simply serving with honey—the traditional Rosh Hashanah treat (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[5] Pickled apples. Here’s another recipe from Best Apples.

3. TASTE the brine (don’t burn your tongue!). Adjust the seasonings add more sweetness or tartness as desired.

4. TRANSFER the apples to a quart container and add the spice pods. Pour the brine through a strainer onto the apples, cover and allow to come to room temperature, turning the container regularly to ensure all apples sit in the brine.

5. REFRIGERATE until ready to use.

[1] Table salt. Functional, but not the best (photo courtesy Tablecraft)./font>

[2] Fleur de sel, a favorite of chefs harvested off the Atlantic coast of France. It’s a type of sel gris, the category of gray salt (photo courtesy Saltworks).

The unique pyramid-shaped crystals of Maldon River salt from England (photo © Stephen Upson).

[4] Black lava salt from Cyprus is an example of both lava salt and flake salt (photo courtesy Saltworks).

[5] Alaea, red sea salt from Hawaii. The color comes from the area’s natural red clay (photo courtesy Saltworks).

 
Both have the same amount of sodium, and experts agree that for most Americans, there is no meaningful heath benefit in choosing one over the other.

However, to the refined palate, there is a difference in taste.

HOST A SEA SALT TASTING

Before we present our favorite types of sea salt, consider planning a tasting to compare them. We recommend three umbrella groups to taste:

 
Don’t worry about the expense: Get together a group of like-minded foodies who are happy to share the cost. And since you will only use a small amount from each jar, everyone gets to take home the rest of the salt they brought.

If you enjoy the first tasting as much as we think you will, you can plan follow-up tastings such as:

 
Test them on very bland foods; for example:

 
About salt being the enemy: The main source of sodium in our diet is not salt from the mine or the sea, but that hidden in processed foods.
 
 
CATEGORIES OF SALT

CATEGORY I: REFINED KITCHEN SALTS

First, the basic salts:

1. TABLE SALT

Table salt, the most common salt in use worldwide, is harvested from salt deposits found underground. As mentioned above, most table salt is iodized. This iodine prevents iodine deficiency, which can cause hypothyroidism (goiter) and other maladies. While this problem evaporated (pun intended) with improvements in the American diet in the early 20th century, it still occurs in parts of the third world.
 
 
2. KOSHER SALT

Kosher salt—originally called koshering salt–is coarser-grained than regular table salt, with a flaky appearance. The large grains were originally used to kosher meat, drawing blood and other liquids from the surface of the meat, per kosher law.

Most kosher salt does not have added iodine, and usually has no anti-clumping agents. Unless indicated on the package, it isn’t even kosher (the name refers to the process).

It is an all-purpose cooking salt, typically used to salt the water prior to cooking pasta and grains. However, it can also be a crunchy finishing salt, less expensive than coarse sea salt. It’s also used as a Margarita rimmer and a pretzel topper.

People who pickle use pickling salt for brining. Like kosher salt, it’s a refined salt, but pickling salt is always made without anti-clumping or other agents.

Tip: Never use sea salt for pickling. The trace elements can discolor the food.
 
 
CATEGORY II: SEA SALTS

“Sea salt” is a broad term, comprising plain salts, smoked salts and flavored salts. They are variously referred to as artisan salts and gourmet salts.Have a salt tasting to see how different these salts are on basic foods.

Harvested from evaporated sea water, sea salt is usually unrefined and coarser-grained than table salt; although specialty salt sites often sell their salts in both fine and coarse grinds.

Sea salts also contain some the minerals that occur naturally in the water where they are harvested. Iron, potassium, zinc and trace minerals give sea salt a more complex flavor profile.

They are often used as finishing salts: a sprinkle on top of the foods (as opposed to a recipe ingredient). Have a tasting to see the for a different mouth feels and bursts of flavor for yourself.
 
 
4. ALAEA, RED HAWAIIAN SALT

This naturally red Hawaiian salt (photo #5) gets its name and color from the reddish, iron-rich volcanic clay in the area.

Used for centuries in ceremonial ways for cleansing, purification and the blessing of tools, red Hawaiian salt is also great in the kitchen, adding an attractive finish and robust flavor to seafood and meat, as well as traditional island dishes like poke and pipikaula, a Hawaiian jerky.
 
 
5. CELTIC SEA SALT

In the sel gris (pronounced sell GREE, French for “grey salt”) category, Celtic sea salt is harvested from the bottom of mineral-rich tidal ponds off the coast of France. The salt crystals are raked out after sinking; this, plus the miner. The grains are moist and chunky, with a grey hue and briny taste of the sea.

However, don’t save it for seafood: It’s used on just about every food, including baked goods and as a garnish for chocolate desserts.

Flake salt is thin and irregularly shaped with a bright, salty taste and very low mineral content. The flakes dissolve quickly, though, resulting in a pop of flavor where they sat.

Flake salt is popular as a finishing salt, especially on meats. Chefs will toss some on before the plate goes up to the pass.

Flake salts occur around the world. Maldon salt from England is the best-known and perhaps the most beautiful, with natural pyramid-shaped crystals (photo #3). It is available in its natural form as well as smoked.
 
 

7. FLEUR DE SEL

Literally “flower of salt,” fleur de sel (photo #2) is hand-harvested from tidal pools off the coast of Brittany, France. Paper-thin salt crystals are delicately skimmed from the water’s surface with traditional wooden rakes.

Understandably, this labor can only be undertaken on sunny, dry days with no more than a slight breeze. Because of its labor-intensive harvesting, fleur de sel is the world’s most expensive salt.

As a type of sel gris, it retains moisture. It has a particular blue-grey tint from the high mineral content in its terroir. It is used as a finishing salt for meat, seafood, vegetables, even desserts (let’s not forget salted caramels, plain or chocolate-coated).
 
 
8. HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

Himalayan salt is the purest form of salt in the world. That’s because its water source evaporated long before mankind arrived to pollute the planet.

It is harvested in the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. It may also be the richest in minerals, containing the 84 natural minerals and elements found in the human body.

Pink salts are also found elsewhere in the world, including Australia’s Murray River salt, Bolivia and Peru. The colors can range from pinkish-white to deep pink.

The mineral content of pink salts gives them flavor as well as beauty. Use them as plate decor and cocktail rims.
 
 
9. KALA NAMAK & OTHER BLACK SALTS

Kala namak, which means “black salt” in Nepalese, is a flavored salt: Himalayan salt that’s been packed in a container with charcoal, herbs, seeds and bark. The container is fired in a furnace for 24 hours; then it’s cooled, stored and aged.

The process gives kala namak its reddish-black color, its pungent, salty taste and a faint, sulfurous aroma of eggs. It’s often used in vegan and vegetarian dishes to give egg-free dishes the taste of egg, as well as in Ayurvedic practice.

You can also find naturally blank lava salts, from areas of volcanic activity around the world—from Cyprus (photo #4) to Hawaii.

Coarse-grained and crunchy, blacks salt make eye-popping glass rims, plate garnishes, and are popular as finishing salts with pork and seafood.

[6] By comparison, sea salt with a heavy Calderwood smoke (photo courtesy Saltworks).

[7] A trio of flavored salts. From top: matcha, bourbon, saffron.

Smoked salt is slow-smoked for up to two weeks over a wood fire. Some brands highlight the wood. Alder, apple, hickory, mesquite and oak are most common, but you can also find chardonnay and cabernet salts smoked over barrels in which the wine was aged (actual wine can be added as well).

People who enjoy a smokey hit will enjoy smoked salts (we’re fans). Use them on heartier foods: meats, poultry, potatoes, grilled vegetables.

Some salts, like Maldon, are available in both regular and smoked form. You can add to a tasting by comparing them.
 
 
CATEGORY III: FLAVORED SALTS

Beyond the garlic salt, onion salt and seasoned salt found in many kitchens, you can find salts mixed with everything from chocolate and espresso to lemon and lemongrass, chipotle and chile verde to truffle and Thai ginger.

Photo #6 shows matcha, bourbon and saffron salts.

There are dozens of different flavors. Our favorites in terms of universality: rosemary salt and saffron salt. We love these flavors, so use the salts every day, instead of plain sea salt.

Check out Saltworks.us for a variety that will knock your salty socks off.

Some examples, in addition to those already mentioned, of what can be found at Saltworks:

[2] For other salads, you can make sweet potato croutons. Here’s the recipe and salad ideas from Eating Bird Food.

If you like croutons on your salad (and how many of us do not), here’s an idea from the Idaho Potato Commission:

Substitute crispy, fried potato “croutons” instead of bread. They’re gluten-free, but can be combined with conventional bread croutons for a layered texture-flavor approach.

If you reach for the most well-done french fries, this recipe is for you!

In this recipe the Idaho folks used the retro wedge salad. This one is loaded with bacon, cheese, potatoes, croutons (both bread and potato).

The recipe was created by Jonathan Melendez of The Candid Appetite. He uses feta instead of the conventional blue cheese (we love either).

Time-Saving Tip: The different salad components can be made and prepped the day before and assembled on the next day.
 
 
RECIPE: WEDGE SALAD WITH POTATO CROUTONS

Ingredients for 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. SET a large skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Once hot, add the potatoes and cook until crispy, browned and softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir them occasionally so that they cook and brown evenly.

2. SEASON with salt, pepper and rosemary.

3. ASSEMBLE the salads: Arrange the iceberg quarters on a platter. Drizzle each wedge with dressing, and top with potatoes, bacon, tomatoes, red onion, croutons feta cheese and chives. Serve immediately and enjoy!