Showcase seasonal summer flavors in these pasta dishes

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When the heat and humidity take over, one of the last things you might think about eating is a bowl of pasta. But after a recent trip to Italy where temperatures really know how to soar, I realized that noodles — whether served cold, at room temperature, or piping hot — make for great summer eating. Italians eat pasta all year, using it to showcase seasonal ingredients. And throughout Asia, cold noodles are served on hot, sweltering days and nights.

With that in mind, here are three new summer pasta recipes. The first is a classic: basil pesto with linguine. Fresh basil is a must, but you can use any nut you like (I chose hazelnuts, my latest obsession) and toss the pesto with linguine or spaghetti. Leftover pesto is a wonderful quick dip for raw vegetables, spooned over grilled fish, meat, or chicken, or mixed into summer salads or vinaigrettes. The second dish combines the best of my summer garden: sautéed zucchini and garlic tossed with any shaped pasta with raw cubed tomatoes, raw peas and fresh herbs. The heat of the pasta “cooks” the peas and softens the other vegetables into a light, refreshing sauce.

The third dish uses Japanese somen noodles tossed with a miso-ginger sauce, sliced cold tofu, all topped with scallions, chiles and peanuts. It’s a cooling, refreshing dish for those hottest days and nights when you want dinner without adding any extra heat to the kitchen.

TIP:  You’ll notice I use the pasta water in two of these recipes. Once pasta begins cooking, it releases some of its starch into the cooking water. This is the ideal “thickener” for your pasta sauces. It helps a sauce bind together. Just a tablespoon or two of the pasta water will help your sauces bind to the pasta. So, before you drain and get rid of the pasta water, keep about ¼ cup to add to sauces.

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Every summer, I plant a row of basil. I can not possibly have enough since I use it in all my summer cooking, sliced or lightly chopped and sprinkled on pasta dishes, salads, chicken, and seafood. The classic dish of an Italian summer is a basil pesto tossed with linguine or spaghetti. Pesto comes from the Liguria region of Italy and is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, so the delicate basil leaves are not pulverized, but their floral essence is slowly released. It’s a simple sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, nuts and grated Parmesan cheese. Traditionally delicate pine nuts (pignoli) are used, but I’ve also successfully used crunchy, earthy hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts. You can really use any type of nut you have on hand; ideally, you will toast the nuts ahead of time to release their full, nutty flavor. Pesto can also be made ahead of time. Just place it in a jar and cover with a thin layer of olive oil to keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients:

The basil pesto:

• ½ cup toasted nuts (I used hazelnuts, but you can use pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts or almonds)*
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Grinding black pepper
• Large bunch basil leaves, removed from stems, about 2 packed cups
• About ¾ to 1 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

The pasta and toppings:

• 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaf for garnish

*To toast the nuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast on the middle shelf for around 5 to 7 minutes, or until you smell the nuts. Remove and cool. 

Instructions:

1. Make the pesto: In the bowl of a food processor, add the nuts, garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, and pulse a few times to chop. Add the basil leaves and pulse until chopped. With the machine running slowly, add the ¾ cup of olive oil, letting it incorporate into the basil mixture before adding the rest. Remove the pesto to a bowl and gently stir in the cheese. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Spread the remaining tablespoon of oil on top before sealing and refrigerating. The pesto will keep for about 5 days and can be frozen for about a month or two.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook, stirring, until al dente, about 10 minutes, following the directions on the package. Before draining the pasta, add about ¼ cup of the pasta water to a serving bowl. Drain the pasta, add to the bowl with the water, and toss with about half of the pesto. Stir in additional pesto if you like and top with grated Parmesan and a basil leaf.

Summer pasta with zucchini, garlic, peas and tomatoes

The heat of the summer, mixed with a generous number of rainy days, has left me with a garden full of vegetables. This pasta dish uses all the best of summer produce. Zucchini slices are sauteed with garlic and olive oil and then tossed with a shaped pasta, raw chopped tomatoes, fresh raw peas, oregano, chives or scallions and other herbs.  A touch of grated lemon zest (or lemon oil) highlights the fresh vegetable flavors. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I almost always give the option of substituting dried herbs when I write a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, but not this time. It’s summer. Fresh herbs are very easy to find. Seek them out or simply omit or substitute with fresh chopped parsley.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound shaped pasta like farfalle, penne or your favorite shape
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, cubed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or finely chopped scallions
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme or basil, chopped 
• ½ cup fresh peas
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, yellow and or red
• Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the zucchini cubes, salt and pepper and half the oregano and chives (or scallions). Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the zucchini begins to turn golden brown and soften. Add ¼ cup of the water from the pasta and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Drain pasta. Place in a large bowl or serving platter and toss with the zucchini and garlic. Add the tomatoes and the peas and the remaining herbs and gently toss. Serve with the grated cheese.

Japanese cold noodles with miso sauce, tofu, ginger and peanuts

During these days of intense heat, there is nothing more cooling and satisfying than this cold, Japanese-style noodle dish. This is exactly the kind of cooking most of us want to do during summer: dishes that take relatively no time to assemble and require little or no extra kitchen heat. Drain the tofu. Make the miso sauce ahead of time (all you need to do is boil water for a few minutes) and simmer for 5 minutes. Boil the noodles, rinse under cold water, and you can put this together at the last minute.

You can easily double this recipe for a large group. Don’t fully dress the noodles with the sauce until just a few minutes before serving.

Serves 2 to 4.

Ingredients:

The noodles and tofu:

• 4 ounces somen noodles (Japanese wheat noodles), or udon or ramen noodles
• 3 scallions finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chili pepper, deseeded or partially seeded if you like it spicy
• 12 oz (½ of a 24-ounce container) of silky tofu or soft tofu
• ⅓ cup salted peanuts, very coarsely chopped

The miso sauce:

• 1½ tablespoons white or light miso paste
• 2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Drain the tofu from the package and place on a clean tea towel or between several layers of paper towel. Press lightly and then allow to drain for at least 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients and make the sauce.
2. Make the miso sauce: Mix the miso paste with ¾ cup water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to make sure the paste is fully incorporated. Add the scallions, ginger and soy sauce. Lower the heat. Simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes or until smooth and flavorful. Off the heat, add the rice vinegar. Cool to room temperature. You can make this sauce 24 hours ahead of time and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and simmer for about 3 minutes (depending on the type of noodle you use; follow the directions on the package). Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Drain again.
4. Place the noodles in a medium serving bowl or platter and gently toss with half the miso sauce. Thinly slice the tofu and place on top of the noodles. Scatter the scallions, ginger and chili pepper on top of the tofu. Just before serving, add the remaining miso sauce on top of the noodles and tofu, and then sprinkle with the peanuts.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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