Peter's Summer Pasta

Here we are, back at the larder with a number of items staring back at us. Somewhat exhausted from an overly long excursion home, we wondered, "What to have for dinner?" Saffron-laced malloreddus pasta from Sfoglini seemed an easy go and once having made our dish, we thought orechiette or any smallish noodle such as rigatoni or elbow noodles would do as well in a pinch. Spigarello from a greenmarket was an option for an ingredient too. So, with a careful consideration of what we had on hand, I set to work which resulted in a joyous dinner.

Peter's Summer Pasta
Serves 2

Ingredients
1/2 pound pasta or more, if you're really hungry. Adjust ingredient portions accordingly. 
Large shallot,  thinly sliced
Bunch scallions, chopped
2 TB garlic paste
2 TB vibrant mustard, such as Roland's Dijon
2 TB anchovy paste
1 bunch spigarello greens, or broccoli rabe, perhaps arugula
Fistful of parsley
3 TB olive oil
2 TB butter
Summery combo of 4 smallish zucchini and yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Grated Grana Padana cheese or Parmesan
Amaretti cookies or ginger snaps, crushed

Method
Bring enough salted water for your pasta to a boil. In the meantime, chop the stems of your greens and in a large pan, saute gently with shallots and scallions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When softened, add in half of the garlic paste, anchovy paste, and mustard. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the zucchini and squash with half of the butter and turning occasionally, cook until tender. In a smaller pan, saute the leaves of your greens with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and butter. Add in the rest of your pastes and mustard until the leaves are wilted. Season with more salt and pepper. Drain the pasta when done according to the directions on the box or bag, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Pour this in to the vegetables and let it simmer for a moment. Toss everything together gently and add cheese and more pepper, to taste. Top with the cookies or simple ginger snaps for a final flourish. A few glasses of a Pinot Gris and a  simple green salad tossed about with olive oil and red wine vinegar would be nice with this too. Do enjoy!