Dates and Pasta

Cocktail Hour

Date, Arugula and Cheese Salad

We saw a recipe for Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil in the New York Times. Shumon joined us for dinner. It was a warm night and we started with cocktails on the front patio then moved to the back patio for the dinner. We started with a Date and Arugula Salad.

The Pasta was ok, but not great. Probably won’t make again. But if you like the ingredients give it a try. The drinks and the wine were great!

Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil

New York Times

Fresh Ricotta Turns a Simple Pasta Dish Sublime

A recent trip to Sicily reminded me just how marvelous fresh ricotta can be. I had the chance to visit a family-run sheep dairy to observe a cheese master at work. The farm produces pecorino cheese, both young and aged, and ricotta too, which is essentially a by-product of the cheese-making process.

Twice each day, 500 sheep are milked by hand, which produces 400 liters (about 100 gallons) of milk, enough to fill a giant vat. After the cheese curds are ready and scooped into molds, the remaining whey — a thin, watery-looking liquid — is transferred to a huge kettle, heated beneath by a wood fire. When the whey reaches the proper temperature, after about an hour, the most incredibly delicate ricotta floats to the surface. The name ricotta means recooked, but it still seems miraculous that this second cooking could achieve such ethereal results.

Sheep’s milk ricotta is becoming more available in the United States, both from American producers and as an imported product. Better cheese shops and Italian delis stock it. The ricotta needs to be ultrafresh, so try to buy it as soon as it comes in, and use it within two days. Or ask for fresh cow’s milk ricotta, which can also be divine. Both are far superior to the generic type found in most supermarkets.

In Sicily (all over Italy, for that matter), ricotta has a variety of uses, both savory and sweet. It is a common filling for ravioli and lasagna, or it can be turned into tender gnocchi. Lightly sweetened, it is also an element in desserts — for ice cream, or ricotta cream for cannoli, or for the traditional cake, cassata.

Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times

But fresh ricotta is perhaps best when employed to make a wonderful rudimentary pasta, especially this time of year, when garden-fresh, just-picked vegetables abound.

Here is the technique: While your pasta is boiling, you soften a diced onion in olive oil. Then you add chopped zucchini (or peas, or split cherry tomatoes) and let it soften as well. When the pasta is al dente, it joins the zucchini in the pan, followed by a good dollop of ricotta and a splash of the pasta’s cooking water. The ricotta melts to a creamy cloak, and a handful of grated pecorino or Parmesan brings it all together. I also add a touch of lemon zest and a spoonful of basil pesto.

It is a dish of utter simplicity, yet it tastes, to me at least, like the height of luxury.

Recipe: Summer Pasta with Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil

Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil

A summer pasta should be simple and fresh, ideally made with vegetables straight from the garden or market. Look for the best artisanal ricotta; top-quality ingredients make all the difference here.

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)

Salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic

1 ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves

1 pound ziti or other dry pasta

8 ounces ricotta, about 1 cup

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

2 ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

PREPARATION

1.   Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

2.   Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.

3.   Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

4.   Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.