Farmers Market Pasta

Christmas 2020. The pandemic Christmas. The Mountain View house: Lourdes, Angela, James, and me. Four people at a table built for more. The tree. The parol. The Nativity scene. The food — the full spread, because Lourdes does not reduce her cooking to match the reduced gathering, the food is always excessive, always abundant, always more than enough, because enough is not the goal, abundance is the goal, the abundance that says: we came from a place where there wasn't always enough, and now there is more than enough, and the more is the memorial.

Mark called from San Diego. Carmen was next to him. They were eating Carmen's adobo — the coconut milk version — and Mark said, "Grace, try Carmen's version sometime." I said, "Mama will disown me." Lourdes, overhearing, said, "I will not disown you. I will just be disappointed." The threat of Lourdes's disappointment is more powerful than disownment. I will not try the coconut milk version. Not yet. Not until Lourdes gives permission. Lourdes will never give permission. The vinegar is the line. The line does not move.

I made Reynaldo's salmon sinigang that evening. The Christmas memorial. One more squeeze of tamarind. For Papa. For the man who would be sixty-five this year. For the man who crossed an ocean in a thin jacket and stayed. I stay too. Every December, in the darkness, in the cold, with the tamarind and the salmon and the memory that is the recipe. I stay.

Sinigang belongs to December, to Papa, to the tamarind and the cold and the memory — and I will not move it from that place. But the abundance Lourdes taught me, that philosophy of the overflowing table, belongs to every season, and this farmers market pasta is how I practice it in ordinary time: whatever the market offers, whatever is brightest and most alive, goes into the pot, because the point is never restraint, the point is always more than enough.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz linguine or spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

Salt and boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
Sauté the garlic. While pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden. Do not let it burn.
Build the vegetables. Add the zucchini and bell pepper to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender with a little color. Add the corn and cherry tomatoes and cook 2–3 minutes more until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices.
Season the pan. Stir in the red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Nestle the drained pasta directly into the skillet. Add the reserved pasta water and lemon juice. Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Finish with cheese and herbs. Remove the pan from heat. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the Parmesan and toss to combine. Fold in the torn basil and parsley.
Serve immediately. Divide among four bowls and top with additional Parmesan and a few extra basil leaves. A final squeeze of lemon brightens everything at the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Farmers Market Pasta — The Abundance That Says There Is More Than Enough