Zippy Zucchini Pasta

Mid-June and the summer solstice approaching. The days are enormous — it doesn't get dark until nine-thirty, the light staying and staying in that way that feels like a gift after the January nights. I've been sitting outside after dinner in this light, just sitting, which is not something I do often. A person who grew up working farms doesn't easily become a person who sits and does nothing. But nine o'clock summer light invites it.

The first zucchini appeared on Thursday, which is always the beginning of the great annual abundance that becomes the great annual surplus. I made zucchini bread — two loaves, the first — and froze one. By August I'll have given zucchini to everyone I know and will still have too much. This is the summer's tax. You pay it willingly because everything else the garden gives is worth it.

Teddy called on his own this week, not for a lesson but just to talk. He's been doing that more lately, calling without a specific reason. He's thirteen and coming up on fourteen and at that age the calls that mean something are the ones without a stated purpose. We talked about what he wants to cook during the July visit. He has a list. He wants to make pasta from scratch for the whole family and he wants to make a proper birthday cake for Finn's birthday, which falls during the visit.

I told him: Teddy, you're going to cook the birthday cake for your brother's birthday on a farm in Vermont. He was quiet for a moment and then he said: yeah, that's pretty good. I said: that is pretty good. He seemed to agree. It's a thing worth doing.

That first zucchini of the season deserves its own moment — not just bread, which freezes well and waits patiently, but something for the table that same evening, something that puts the garden right at the center of dinner. Zippy Zucchini Pasta has become my answer to that first harvest: it’s quick enough for a summer night when you’ve been sitting in the long light until nearly dark, and it carries the kind of bright, uncomplicated flavor that feels exactly right in June. By August the zucchini will be routine; right now, it’s still a small occasion.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz linguine or spaghetti
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup pasta cooking water, reserved
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside.
Saute the zucchini. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden on one side. Stir and cook another 2 minutes until tender but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
Combine with pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat, adding more pasta water a splash at a time if the pasta seems dry.
Finish the dish. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and Parmesan and toss well until the cheese melts into a light, silky sauce. Taste and adjust salt and red pepper as needed.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with torn basil and additional Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Zippy Zucchini Pasta — When the Garden Starts Giving More Than You Asked For