Clean and chop the zucchinis into 3x3 cm cubes (approximately 1 inch x 1 inch). Thinly chop the onion and the sliced Italian speck. Put the onion and speck in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil and cook on a slow fire for a couple of minutes.

When the onion becomes transparent, add the zucchinis and the ½ cup of water, cover and let it cook on a slow fire until the zucchinis are soft.

If the sauce is too watery, raise the fire and cook for a couple of minutes uncovered. Ideally you still want a bit of sauce, but not too much (approximately 4 tbsp). Add salt to taste.

Cook the penne following the steps on How to cook pasta “al dente” in the Techniques page of this site, but drain it 1 minute before it is cooked as it will finish cooking together with the sauce. Put the drained pasta in the pot with the zucchini and speck sauce, add the cream and mix well while cooking it on a slow flame for 1 or 2 minutes.

Serve with thinly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and ground pepper on the top.