Pairing: Sauvignon blanc with spaghettini

Sometimes, especially on hot summer nights, we just want a simple dinner with an easy, refreshing wine alongside, something that doesn’t necessarily require a lot of attention.

Our Wine of the Week, Edna Valley 2013 Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc ($15), is a good place to start. It is an engaging quaffer, balanced, with pretty citrus, a bit of green grass, a hint of minerality and enough acid to keep it lively on the palate.

Little flourishes of lime, lemon and grapefruit suggest it will pair with a wide range of summer foods.

This wine cozies up to salads beautifully, provided they are not overloaded with dressing or with balsamic vinegar, which would eclipse the wine. But chopped salads, classic Cobb salads, Caesar salads and even watermelon salads are all good matches.

The wine is lovely with smoked trout, especially in a salad of shaved celery or fennel, shaved radishes and arugula, and a creamy lemon vinaigrette is a yummy match.

Chickpeas, zucchini, green beans, garlic, artichokes, asparagus and fish such as sanddabs and petrale sole are all good choices with this wine.

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For today’s recipe, I’ve chosen a summer pasta that barely needs a recipe. It’s the sort of thing you can make with what is in your garden, fridge and pantry at this time of year.

Add a simple cucumber salad and either a bowl of berries or a white peach and you have a summer feast in no time at all.

Spaghettini with Yellow Tomatoes, Green Olives, Chevre & Capers

Serves 2, easily doubled

- Kosher salt

6 ounces dried spaghettini or other thin noodle

- Olive oil

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes, preferably yellow

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

½ cup green olives, such as Picholine, pitted and halved

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 to 3 ounces fresh chevre, such as Chabis, broken into chunks

- Black pepper in a mill

- Lemon wedges or lime wedges

Fill a medium sauce pan two-thirds full with water, add a generous tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir until the water returns to a boil and cook according to package directions until just done.

Meanwhile, let a small saute pan over medium-high heat, add a teaspoon or so of olive oil and when the pan is hot add the capers. Saute, tossing frequently, until they blossom, about 1 to 1½ minutes. Set aside.

Warm a wide shallow bowl and wipe it dry. Add the tomatoes, garlic, olives, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil and toss gently. Taste and season with salt. Scatter the chevre on top, season generously with black pepper and set aside.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and shake off most but not all of the water that clings to it. Tip it into the bowl and use two forks to first toss and then lift the noodles over and over until they are evenly coated.

Scatter the fried capers on top.

Correct for salt and pepper and serve immediately, with lemon or lime wedges alongside.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 17 books to date, including “Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings.” You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com