"No one wants to eat this kind of food in a restaurant," Franco Ricatti, owner of the Ristorante Bacco in Barletta, Puglia, told me, "but we make it all the time at home." As he described the following, one-pot preparation of pasta boiled with diced zucchini and potatoes, dressed with olive oil and grated Parmesan, I begged him to make it for me. Franco breaks the spaghetti into 2-inch pieces, but I don't bother. And he doesn't use any herbs — unusual behavior in Italy — but I like to add a little basil or parsley.

　　Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

　　1 large (about 1/2 pound) boiling potatoes

　　2 1/2 tablespoons fine sea salt plus additional to taste

　　2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound total), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice

　　1 pound spaghettini

　　2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons chopped basil or flat-leafed parsley leaves if desired

　　1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 12 ounces)

　　freshly ground black pepper to taste

　　

Step 1

In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts water to a boil. Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Add potato and salt to boiling water and boil 2 minutes. Add zucchini and pasta and boil until pasta is al dente.

　　

Step 2

Drain pasta and vegetables in a colander, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, and in a bowl toss pasta and vegetables with oil, basil or parsley, reserved cooking liquid, and Parmesan. Season with additional salt and pepper.

　　Reprinted with permission from Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way With Vegetables, copyright 1996 by Faith Willinger. Buy the full book on Amazon.