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By Root 170 0

for crunch and nuttiness. It’s important to salt the zucchini ten to fifteen minutes before serving it; this will leach out the right amount of water but leave some crunch. Put the salt on too early and you can lose that texture. If you need to prepare the dish ahead, the vinaigrette can be made up to a few hours in advance and you can slice the zucchini up to an hour before salting it if you cover it with a damp towel and leave it at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6

2 zucchini (about ¾ pound), thinly sliced

2 yellow summer squash (about 1½ pounds), thinly sliced

1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 shallot, finely sliced

Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons, or to taste

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

⅓ cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

⅓ cup chopped fresh dill

Combine the zucchini and yellow squash in a colander in the sink and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt over it. Toss to coat, and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, no longer. In a large bowl, combine the garlic and shallot, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream, then the almonds and dill. Taste for seasoning and acidity (it should be nicely acidic).

Add the zucchini and squash to the dressing, toss, and serve immediately.

EGG YOLK PASTA DOUGH

LINGUINE WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO, CAPERS, ANCHOVIES, AND CHILE

SHEEP’S-MILK RAVIOLI WITH BROWN BUTTER AND ALMONDS

PAPPARDELLE WITH PIG’S-HEAD RAGÙ

MAC AND CHEESE WITH ROASTED CHICKEN, GOAT CHEESE, AND ROSEMARY

RISOTTO WITH BAY SCALLOPS

CRISPY GNOCCHI WITH MORELS AND SPRING PEAS

At my restaurants, and traditionally in Italy, pasta dishes are starting courses. They’re smaller; they lead into the meal. But let’s face it, there’s something incredibly satisfying about sitting down and eating a giant bowl of pasta as a meal. Maybe a little salad, some crusty bread, some wine.

Fresh pasta is rich and delicious just as it is. You can serve it as a starter, you can serve it as a main course, you can serve it family style. And once you realize how easy it is to make a basic dough, you can make so many things—noodles, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna. Because the shaping, topping, and filling combinations are endless, pasta is a staple that extends your range in the kitchen.

Gnocchi works in the same way pasta does, carrying any number of garnishes, but I think it works especially well with vegetables. I respect risotto so much that I don’t serve it at the restaurant. It’s not difficult, but I don’t believe you can par-cook it, and I’m not set up to do it properly in a restaurant setting. Risotto requires commitment from the cook to take it from start to finish, so I only make it at home, where it is nothing but a pleasure.

Fresh Pasta

There should be no reason why you can’t make fresh pasta a routine in your kitchen. My recipe for pasta dough requires virtually no kneading, so it’s especially quick and easy. It is an all-yolk recipe that results in a very rich, flavorful pasta that, as a result of the minimal kneading, has a very tender bite.

Flour is important. I use Italian “00” flour, which is increasingly available here in Italian markets. In Italy, flour is rated according to how finely ground it is, with “00” being the finest. It’s principally used in making pizza dough and pasta, and it is worth seeking out, either locally or online, though all-purpose flour can be substituted. I add a little salt and a little olive oil for flavor—that’s it.

The way I learned pasta—the way so many books teach pasta—is that the dough must be kneaded for ten minutes or so until it is as soft as a baby’s tush. The reasoning is that the gluten, which is the protein in flour, must line up neatly to give you elasticity in your dough so that it can be rolled out well. With my quick-knead method, though, you let the rollers of the pasta machine do the kneading for you instead. (While pasta dough can be rolled out on a work surface using a rolling pin, I don’t recommend rolling this dough