Rigatoni a la Shrimp Coctel

A spicy, tangy pasta to kick off the summer

Hi there! Hope all of you that are stateside enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend. Rather than fleeing the city as I’ve done in the past, I stayed in New York this year and was rewarded with some beautiful weather and a few nice surprises:

• A holiday weekend in the late spring or summer is the perfect time to dine out, at least in the more deserted parts of Manhattan. My fiancée and I impulsively walked into Hillstone on Friday evening for a snack, which would normally be a hassle; we easily grabbed a couple of prime bar seats (along with excellent margaritas). Similarly, I made off with a scant ten-minute wait at J.G. Melon on Saturday night, another ghost town victory.

• Speaking of no-hassle eating, I tried Apollo Bagels for the first time (sans line) and can confirm it’s the best bagel on the planet. The whitefish salad was great, but I’ll be going back to try the simple butter-and-jam option.

• Finally, the crown jewel of Memorial Day Weekend: an empty Union Square Greenmarket on Monday, with loads of impeccable spring produce. Norwich Meadows and Lani’s Farm both had bushels of English peas, sugar snaps, herbs, and greens, and there were no sharp elbows to compete with. I’m even starting to see tomatoes and zucchini appear.

That leads me into this week’s recipe: a shrimp-and-pasta dish with a sauce inspired by Mexican cocteles de camarones, or shrimp cocktail, which also uses up a bunch of those springtime greenmarket gems.

The coctel influence comes through with a generous dose of hot sauce — I used Cholula, but it really doesn’t matter which one — along with vinegar, lime, and chili. This sends the shrimp, cherry tomatoes and zucchini into Bloody Mary-esque territory. I recommend finishing it with lots of chopped parsley and fennel pollen. (If you don’t have it, Mexican oregano would also be great.)

If you’re suspicious about lacing your tomato sauce with Cholula and lime, give it a try on a hot day this summer.