Clean out the fridge. That’s what this was. Even the rigatoni was already cooked, sitting in a bag in the cheese drawer (long story).
In a saute pan: olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 anchovy filet (from a jar), red pepper flakes. Add 3 small chopped zucchini and 2 large chopped tomatoes (seeds squeezed out before chopping if you’re like me) and a generous pour of white wine. Some salt, of course. Cover and simmer until you’ve roasted, peeled, and chopped 3 small sweet red peppers. Add them. Cover and simmer until the zucchini is very tender and soft and sort of luscious. While that’s happening chop up the buttery olives sitting in the fridge (pound each with the flat blade of a knife to loosen the pit first)–they should work, right?, chiffonade a whole mess of basil (3 stems or whatever you have that needs to be used now), think about adding some capers and decide against it, and look around for that ricotta you’re sure is still hiding out. Open it and toss it immediately. Look again. Maybe that sheep milk fromage frais would work? Taste it. Yes! It would.
When sauce is done, stir in olives and basil and about 3/4 lb. cooked rigatoni. Put in a baking dish, dollop with lovely bits of the fresh cheese before topping with a solid layer of shredded parmesan. Bake in a very hot oven (aren’t you hungry? let’s get this meal moving!) until the whole thing is melty and hot and getting a bit of crust going. Top with some of the basil that you reserved for presentation, if you remembered not to add all of it.
We had it with some rosé and were quite happy. We were especially thrilled when Ernie said this: “Mama, I’m going to tell you a way to make mint ice cream minty. I do not think it would be very good and I do not think anyone would do it. Add mint toothpaste!”
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