Recipes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4-6 ounces yellow wax beans

— Kosher salt

4 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

8 ounces dried spaghettini

5 thin zucchini, about 6 to 8 inches long, ends trimmed

— Zest of 1 lemon

4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Vella dry jack, Estero Gold, St. George or similar cheese

— Black pepper in a mill

10-12 basil leaves, cut in very thin julienne

Preparation

Cut the stem ends off the beans. Set a colander or strainer in the sink.

Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water, season with a generous 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Use a wide slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the colander to drain.

Put the butter and garlic into a wide shallow bowl and put the drained beans on top of them; cover with a tea towel.

Stir the spaghettini into the boiling water and cook according to package directions until just done, about 9 to 10 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, use a mandoline fitted with its narrowest blade to cut the zucchini into lengthwise julienne. Turn the zucchini as you cut so that you julienne all the skin; if you need to discard the centers, which will likely be too soft to cut, don’t worry. The ribbons should be about the same width as the cooked spaghetti. Use your fingers to separate and fluff the strands of zucchini.

One minute before the pasta is cooked stir the zucchini ribbons into the water with the pasta.

Cook for 1 minute, drain and transfer to the bowl with the beans, butter and garlic. Add the lemon zest and the cheese and use two fork to gently turn the ingredients to distribute them evenly.

Correct for salt, season with several turns of black pepper, scatter the basil on top and enjoy right away.

Recipe by Michele Anna Jordan author of 24 cookbooks. michele@micheleannajordan.com