Summer Harvest Pasta

Recently a blogging friend posted the recipe for "Summer Harvest Pasta" and I knew immediately that I MUST try this recipe ASAP. I was not disappointed, it was as Susan shared, absolutely delicious. I have never prepared one of her recipes that I did not like and she has an amazing blog, Savoring Time In The Kitchen. Click HERE to visit her blog.

Summer Harvest Pasta
Recipe adapted from William Sonoma

Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 lb. Penne Pasta
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
Fresh Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4-6 small zucchini, about 2 lb. total, cut into half-moons
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoons sliced or grated garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
2 ounces Parmigiona-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just barely tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

In a 12-inch oven proof sauté pan over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Working in batches, add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the corn. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion , 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more.

Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and half of the Parmigiona-Reggiano to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer to the same oven proof frying pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiona-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
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Like Susan I used the smaller Penne, Mezze Penne Pasta and I used cherry tomatoes cut in half as she suggested. I did not rinse the pasta but drained it in a colander and sprinkled a little olive oil over it so the pasta wouldn't stick together. I did save the pasta water and added a little to the sauce to thicken it a little more, a trick I learned from watching Lidia Bastianich so often. 



After prepping all my ingredients this dish went together very quickly and I loved the addition of the white wine. It gave the dish a little more depth of flavor. I chose to sauté everything in a sauté pan and then transferred to a oval casserole dish but either way is fine.

I used a blue basil that I had sitting on my kitchen counter. I love the sweet little purple bloom so instead of cutting back the bloom in the garden I most often bring it in to enjoy the bloom and it fragrances my kitchen. Using fresh herbs from the garden was an added plus to this dish.

What's not to like about this dish, fresh herbs, fresh veggies, cheese and pasta. I think this was a homerun. Pared with a simple salad it was a wonderful veggie dinner.

Thank you Susan for sharing this excellent "Summer Harvest Pasta". This I will make again and again, DELICIOUS!!!!!

 

I'm linking this post to Foodie Friday hosted by Michael Lee at Rattlebridge Farm. To see other spectacular recipes shared click HERE.