This week from Hanson’s Farm…
CSA Week 9: pattypan, yellow and Kousa squash; zucchini; corn; tomatoes (heirloom and u-pick cherry); cucumbers; carrots; basil; hot peppers; bell peppers; turnips; kale; eggplant…LOTS of everything!
Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE getting all this amazing, fresh, no-pesticide produce?? (Splitting our share was the key for me; it would have been too much on our own, with just myself, my husband and ChefBaby eating – she’s a voracious eater for a toddler, but still.) I love how inventive it challenges me to be, putting together bits of this and a little of that and seeing what comes out of it. (I know some of you are thinking, “Screw that noise! Who has time for that??” In which case, no worries; this recipe should help 🙂
This week I came across a recipe (wish I could remember where) for a pasta dish with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese that was drool-worthy and inspiring. I didn’t have goat cheese on hand, but I had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, both from the CSA and my sad little pots. (I’ve gotten maybe 2 or 3 tomatoes on each of the 6 plants I’m “growing” – I’m afraid to tally the per-item cost of that little experiment. Living among all these pretty green trees comes with a price, aka not enough sunlight to grow things.) I also had basil, corn, zucchini etc from the farm, so I started thinking of a no-cook pasta dish using what was on hand. I found some feta in the fridge – I’m a huge fan of the block-style that comes in little pails; it’s much creamier and tastier than the pre-crumbled kind and lasts for weeks. And I always have pasta (stockpiled whenever it’s on sale for $1). With those items floating around in my head, this no-cook (except for the spaghetti) dish came together super quickly and made a delicious, simple summer dinner. As always, feel free to tinker with the veggies and the amounts – think of your pasta bowl as a canvas, and create. Enjoy!
Super-Fast Veggie Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce
Serves 4
- 1/2 box spaghetti
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chopped (seeds and all)
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped (use more or less, to your taste)
- 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
- 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash (or half and half), grated
- 3 ears corn, kernels scraped off the cob
- 1/4 c basil leaves, julienned or torn
- olive oil – a splash or two
- kosher salt and pepper