This summer, chances are you might be gifted some fresh veggies if one of your neighbors has a super green thumb or just can’t say no at the farmers market.
Among the most passed-along produce is zucchini since the fruit (which is treated as a vegetable in the kitchen) is easy to grow. Provided with sun and enough water, a single plant can produce a bumper crop of more than a dozen baby squashes, leading to more supply than demand.
But what if the kitchen farmer who lives next door also raises chickens and regularly hands fresh eggs over the fence when he spies you cutting grass or pulling weeds? They’re a welcome gift, provided you love eggs for breakfast or like to bake.
I’m a fan of both, which is why I readily accepted the six brown eggs my neighbor, Omar, gave me on a recent Sunday.
I decided to use some of them to make a summery, vegetarian riff on the classic pasta dish carbonara. This simple recipe brings together pan-seared zucchini with cooked rigatoni and an easy sauce made with a creamy mix of eggs, grated Parmesan and Pecorino-Romano cheeses, lemon zest, and garlic. I topped it with toasted, homemade bread crumbs tossed with a little fresh lemon zest for a crunchy finish.
Cook’s note: Be sure to take the pasta or zucchini mixture OFF the heat before adding the egg and cheese mixture, or the eggs will scramble instead of dissolving into a glossy sauce. You will also want to save about a cup of your starchy pasta water to emulsify and thin the sauce if it seems too thick. I used almost a full cup of reserved water.
Paired with a green salad, it makes an easy and seasonal summer supper. Purists might call foul if you reheat the dish for lunch—carbonara is best eaten fresh because the sauce is extremely heat-sensitive—but if you add a little water before popping it in the microwave on low power and stir it halfway through, it will still hit the spot.
If the meat lovers in your household absolutely insist on a porky finish (carbonara is traditionally made with bacon or guanciale), crumble a little crispy, cooked bacon on top along with some extra grated Parmesan.
