In Paris, Marlene had beautiful meals, beautifully composed. Summer on a plate. One tangle of pasta arrived bedazzled with pale purple petals. Sheaves, the waitress allowed. So fancy, so French, so far-flung.
Back home, Marlene sighed over homegrown meals and overgrown garden. She took her shears to the leggy basil, the rambunctious parsley, the tired thyme. The lettuce and chard threatened to bolt. So, she wished, could she.
She gathered up the tangle of trimmings, a composition for the compost. There, in one gloved hand, smiled pale purple petals, the sort that had once bedazzled her dish. Sheaves, she sighed. Here, they’re merely chives.
Summer Ribbons
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
2 lbs. (about 3 medium) yellow summer squash
Salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled, bruised
1/2 lb. wide, long pasta, such as pappardelle, preferably homemade*
1 1/2 cups (total) chopped basil, thyme, parsley, chives and, if your herbs suffer neglect, chive blossom petals
1 Tbsp. salted butter, cut up
Pepper
Trim: Cut squash into long strips, about 1 inch wide and 1/2-inch thick. Season lightly with salt.
Roast: Toss squash with the oil and garlic, and arrange in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. Slide into a 450-degree oven and roast, turning squash once, until squash is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Discard garlic.
Boil: Cook pasta. Homemade only needs 1-2 minutes. Drain.
Serve: Scrape roasted squash (along with any oil) into a serving bowl. Toss with herbs, cooked pasta and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy with summer.
*Don’t be afraid of homemade pasta: Buzz together 1 cup flour, 1 pinch salt and 1 egg to something that looks like yellow Dippin’ Dots. Press into a square, about 1/2 inch thick, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature, 1 hour. Roll out, using a hand-cranked pasta machine: Pass once through each setting, from widest to next-to-thinnest. Roll up the long ribbon of pasta and slice into 4 extremely long 1-inch wide noodles. That’s it!
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