Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Summer Squash & Lemon PDF Print E-mail

Recipe for August 30, 2009

From Kelly Clark, Carrboro, North Carolina Farmers’ Market

Once you’ve purchased tomatoes and summer squash from your favorite farmer, you should have most of the ingredients for this recipe in your pantry, including some pesto that you’ve made from your burgeoning basil plants! This dish requires a little prep work, and no cooking except for the pasta – making it a fairly quick option for a late summer dinner. Serve with a toasted baguette to soak up the extra juices.

 

  • 1 large lemon - to yield zest and 1/4 cup of juice
  • 1/2 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup parsley leaves*
  • 1/4 cup pesto*
  • 6 small to medium patty pan squash* – a mix of yellow and green is pretty – coarsely grated to equal 3 cups. (You can substitute zucchini* or summer squash*). Patty pan squash are round with scalloped edges.
  • 4 medium Cherokee Purple tomatoes* (or other tomato variety of your choice).
  • 8 oz. farfalle (bowtie) pasta

 

One jar with a tight lid

One large pasta bowl

Cook the pasta according to instructions. While the pasta is cooking prepare the other ingredients. When the pasta is done, drain well and set aside.

Zest the lemon then finely chop the zest, set aside. Juice the lemon, augmenting if necessary, to yield 1/4 cup juice, set aside.

Put the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar with a tight lid. Shake the mixture until well combined.

Finely chop the parsley, set aside.

Coarsely grate the squash, set aside.

Chop the tomatoes into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces, collecting any juices.

Layer in a large pasta bowl in this order: tomatoes with their juice, parsley, pasta, pesto, lemon zest, squash.

Shake the dressing one more time, then pour over the layered ingredients and toss well.

Generously serves four.


* Ingredients can be found at the market