Three-Colored Pasta With Seafood And Lemon-Basil Sauce

A visual feast: contrasting textures and subtle flavors, three-colored pasta with slivers of red and white lobster or crab. The trick here is to cut the peppers and the zucchini into long strips as thin as possible to resemble the pasta. This dish depends mostly on the flavor of the pasta and the wine. This recipe minimizes the pasta and maximizes the wine. Try with a chardonnay.

Combine the wine, broth, onions and basil, in a medium size saucepan and reduce by half over moderate heat. * Strain through a sieve and return to the same saucepan, which has been wiped clean. (optional) * Add 1 tablespoon butter and whisk. * Dissolve the cornstarch in the lemon juice and add it to the sauce. Simmer gently for 2 minutes or until thickened. * Taste and adjust flavor with more lemon, perhaps a little salt and pepper. Set aside but keep warm.

Bring plenty of water to a boil. * Cut the bell pepper and zucchini into thin ribbon-like strips, about the same thickness as the pasta, as long as possible. * Par cook vegetables and douse immediately under cold water, drain, and pat dry. * Cook the pasta in the same boiling water until al dente. Drain and refresh under cold water. *Spray a flat-bottom wok or skillet and heat over medium flame; add the vegetables and raise heat, stir-tossing. Add the crabmeat to heat through; and pasta. Add sauce. Toss to coat. Add fresh lemon-basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (to taste) and, a little broth if necessary to thin the sauce. Serve at once. thoroughly, tossing gently to prevent sticking. Divide among 6 heated dinner plates and top with a sprinkling of tarragon.

Influenced by Costner in Good Friends, Great Dinners. From (1987) Susan Costner's Good Friends, Great Dinners: 32 Menus for Casual Entertaining (NYC: Crown)