You can buy the trombette at the Oneglia market, on Wednesdays or Saturdays: they're those long, crooked, pale-green courgettes that look like a child drew them. The best come from Albenga, so firm you barely need to cook them, and sweet.
It's a summer pasta you can make by eye, without any fuss. Slice a couple of trombette into rounds and let them sizzle in the pan with a little garlic; meanwhile grab the prawns and add them in. When the linguine are al dente, toss them in with a ladle of pasta water: a couple of minutes and it's ready, staying a lovely green that smells of the garden and the sea at once.
If someone at the table doesn't eat fish, just leave the prawns out and add a few quartered cherry tomatoes: nobody notices. And if you're in a hurry, you can even pop the trombette in the microwave while the water boils.
- 1Slice the trombette into thin rounds and sauté with a little oil and the whole garlic clove, until soft but still nicely green.
- 2Drop in the peeled prawns, turn up the heat and cook a couple of minutes: as soon as they turn pink, they're done.
- 3Cook the linguine, drain al dente and keep a ladle of the pasta water.
- 4Toss everything in the pan with a splash of that water. Parsley, a drizzle of raw oil, and serve.