Spaghetti primavera al limone

and how this city rat turned into a country mouse

This has been the month of “let’s go see what’s fresh at the market and then cook something in under 30 minutes.”

I made a last minute decision a few weeks ago to rent out my Brooklyn apartment and live a semi-nomadic life in rural areas for the month of August. To be clear, I’m not a “nomadic” kind of person and I’m certainly not a “rural” kind of person.

A self-proclaimed “city rat” I grew up on a street where I would fall asleep to the sound of cars whizzing by en route to downtown DC and planes flying above into Washington National Airport.

I can’t walk in the dark with out a flashlight and a gust of wind blowing through the trees usually makes me jump.

My favorite vacations were always visiting other major cities around the world and my nightmare was being asked to go on a hike.

Even in the lockdown times, I didn’t have dreams of skipping off to rent an Airbnb in New Mexico, or do #vanlife - I bunkered down in NYC.

I love the city life - its noisy vibrance is both a comfort and a delight.

So yeah, this is not normal for me.

There were some things it took time to get used to coming from that big city life. Like restaurants closing at 8pm. Like not needing to hold a key in my fist ready to stab someone when walking down a quiet street after dark. Like feeling I was the only person under 50 yrs old in the town. And don’t get me started on the being the only person of color with a tendency to wear clothes that generously expose side-boob.

But after a few days - I dropped in. And….I ….liked it….?

Everyone says ‘hello!’ when you pass them in the street.

The sunsets are brighter and bolder.

Turns out that hiking gives you a high. 🚀

And the FOOD.

There are farmer’s stands everywhere (and I don’t mean like 1x a week in a bougie neighborhood, I mean like literally the farmer has a market stand on the side of the road). The purveyors are so passionate and knowledgeable about their offerings. Everything is so fresh and juicy and flavorful and still a fraction of what I would pay in NYC.

Which brings me to this pasta.

After a day of hiking / kayaking / running (I truly wouldn’t have recognized myself a year ago) I was ravenous and the sun was starting to go down. I stopped at a local farmstand and grabbed some zucchini, squash, corn, and sungold tomatoes. I already had some lemons, butter, and spaghetti at home. I wanted a dinner I could whip up in 30 and still have time to catch the sunset with a glass of wine.

And this pasta primavera al limone was born. It’s fresh, creamy, zippy, and just the *chefs kiss* after a long summer day.

So yeah, I guess I’m kinda a country mouse now ; )

Spaghetti primavera al limone

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 box spaghetti

1-2 small yellow squash, sliced

1-2 small zucchini, sliced

2 ears of sweet corn, husked

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint sungold tomatoes, sliced in half

4 tablespoons butter

1 lemon, juiced

4 oz goat cheese

Let’s do it!

1. Start a salted pot of water to boil on the stovetop.

2. While that comes to boil, prep your veggies: slice the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and mince the garlic. Have the butter, goat cheese, and lemons close by. You’re going to want this all ready to go because things will move fast once the pasta is finished cooking.

3. Roast your corn: I do this by putting the ears straight on the burner and low-medium heat and rotating until they are charred all around. It just the same trick as grilling! When the corn is finished, slice it off the cob.

4. Set a large sauté pan on at medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil, garlic, squash, and zucchini and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 mins until the veggies are cooked through. Remove from heat and add to another bowl temporarily.

5. By now, your pasta water should be boiling. Add the noodles and cook fairly al dente (about 5 mins).

6. Add a cup of pasta water to the pan you previously used to sauté the veggies in order to warm it up and then dump this water out.

7. Add another cup of pasta water and turn the heat to low.

8. Add lemon juice and butter.

9. With tongs, take the pasta straight from the pot and add to the sauté pan (nope, you don’t need to strain here! We want these tears of the gods!)

10. Lightly swirl the pasta into this lemon butter sauce until it is well-coated.

11. Add the goat cheese and continue to swirl until the goat cheese is melted.

12. You may need to add more pasta water - use your judgement if it’s looking dry. We want these noodles to be slippery.

13. Add the sautéed veggies and the sungold tomatoes.

14. Serve it up in bowls, top with flaky sea salt + pepper, pour yourself a glass of wine, and try to catch a dreamy sunset 🌅

Happy cooking.

Love ya mucho,

Tessa