Summer Weekend Pasta

Name: Summer Weekend Pasta
Ingredients: Salt; 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed; Pinch red pepper flakes; 3 medium yellow zucchini, ends trimmed; 1 pound orecchiette or small shells; 2 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs, juices and all; 2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn basil; Freshly ground black pepper; Olive oil, if needed; Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

11 ingredients

4 steps

Ingredients

Salt
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
Pinch red pepper flakes
3 medium yellow zucchini, ends trimmed
1 pound orecchiette or small shells
2 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs, juices and all
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, if needed
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, spread the bacon in a large saute pan, add the garlic clove, and set over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it's crisp and its fat has rendered. As you remove the bacon from the heat, stir in the red pepper flakes.
2

Grate the summer squash on a box grater. Gather the gratings in a bowl and salt the squash -- I add about 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt. Toss to mix. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes.
3

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta but don't shake it; you want a little pasta water to help create a sauce. Pour it back in the pot.
4

Take fistfuls of the squash and squeeze it as firmly as possible to extract any liquid. Add the pressed squash to the pasta. Continue until all the grated squash has been squeezed. Then scrape the corn into the pot, and use a slotted spoon to add the bacon (if there's less than 2 tablespoons fat in the pan, I add the bacon and fat to the pasta); discard the garlic clove. Toss the pasta. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Also pepper and the basil. Toss again. Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of olive oil at this point. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with grated, cheese, but not too much. (And pour yourself a glass of sparkling Gruner Veltliner.)