I was at SoWa open market last weekend and went a bit crazy buying fresh summer vegetables and fruit. I do love SOWA for many things but mostly fresh fresh veg and my weekly sunflowers, which brighten up my little home.
I got to Wednesday and suddenly realized I was going to be gone for a long weekend and everything would be spoiled so I immediately went to my bible of Food & Wine for some ideas and decided to invite a friend over for a casual dinner.
I found a simple recipe for Summer Vegetable Pasta, which I then adapted to add even more veggies than recommended. You cant have too much of a good thing right? And Veggies are very good. Tell the kids!
This dish is a fabulous taste of summer with bright and vibrant color, healthy crunchy veggies and al dente pasta.
Summer Vegetable Pasta
Adapted from a Food & Wine Recipe
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 cup frozen thawed peas
1/2 pound Penne or any small pasta
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 zucchini sliced – about 1/8 inch
1 summer squash sliced – about 1/8 inch
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup of dry white wine
1/4 cup of chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried basil (fresh is better of course)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a small saucepan of boiling water, cook the fresh peas until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the peas under cold water.
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the olive oil to the large saucepan, then add zucchini, summer squash and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, add the peas, corn, white wine and chicken stock and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and basil and cook just until warmed through. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter; season with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta, tossing to coat with the sauce. Return to the bowl, add the Parmesan and serve immediately with large glass of crisp, fresh Pinot Grigio. It just tastes even better with wine.
