Creamy Calabrian Shrimp & Cascatelli

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Halve the zucchini lengthwise, then cut on an angle into thirds. Halve, peel, and small dice the onion. Using a zester or the small side of a box grater, finely grate the lemon to get 1 teaspoon. Quarter and deseed the lemon. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems. Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. In a bowl, combine the lemon zest, capers, almonds, half the chopped parsley, half the chopped garlic, the juice of 2 lemon wedges, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 13 to 15 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with foil. Transfer the zucchini pieces to the foil; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Turn to coat. Arrange in an even layer, cut side down. Roast 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and softened. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels; remove the tails. Place in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, the Italian seasoning, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you'd like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be. Stir to coat. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until opaque and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

In the pan of reserved fond, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the diced onion and remaining chopped garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond, 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomato paste and as much of the chile paste as you'd like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until slightly thickened.

To the pot of cooked pasta, add the cooked shrimp, sauce, mascarpone, and half the reserved pasta cooking water. Cook on medium-high, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is coated (if necessary, gradually add the remaining cooking water to ensure the pasta is thoroughly coated). Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished pasta with the roasted zucchini on the side. Top the zucchini with the salsa verde and half the romano. Garnish the pasta with the remaining chopped parsley and remaining romano. Serve the remaining lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!