PrintDinner Tonight: Spaghetti with Zucchini and Squash
The last items I scored from the farmers' market were little globe-shape zucchini and squash. They looked cute enough to carve, and too precious to pass up. Though they were probably ideal candidates for a stuffing, I had no intention on turning the oven on. It’s hot—at least in the Midwest—so everything had to happen on top of the stove.
I scored this little recipe from Diane Seed’s The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces, and it seemed like the perfect platform for these oddly shaped items. It’s just veggies, pasta, olive oil, salt, and pepper. She even scorns cheese. Ultimately, the squash and zucchini would have nowhere to hide. If they were as good as they looked, I’d be a happy man. It is hard to believe the veggies could carry a dish like this, but it turned out fresh, oddly sweet, and completely satisfying. Though a little sprinkle of Parmesan wouldn't hurt anything.
Spaghetti with Zucchini and Squash
Ingredients
1 squash
1 zucchini
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 1/2 ounces olive oil
salt and pepper
Ingredients
1. Bring a large pot of water. Once there, add the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, slice the squash and zucchini very thinly into rounds. Pour the oil into a pan and turn the heat to medium high. Add the rounds and fry until tender.
3. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to pan. Mix everything together and some salt and pepper. Serve up immediately.
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4 Comments:
These ARE ideal candidates for stuffing...just think about going smaller in terms of your oven--the toaster-oven! That's what I use whenever possible in the summer. :-)
Oh, and the guy I buy these from at my local farmer's market tells me they're called 8-balls.
Curlz at 6:58PM on 08/10/07
I have a variation on this you may enjoy. Take one yellow squash, one zucchini, and one ripe and wonderful tomato. Chop into chunks of roughly equal size. With about 1 TBS of olive oil, saute one clove of garlic (minced). Add squash and zucc, let cook for a few minutes until softened. Add tomato, along with some salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (today I used oregano, basil also works well). Serve as a side, or toss with pasta.
Yum- a dish that screams summer freshness!
mnkirk at 7:57PM on 08/10/07
This recipe reminds me of something my mom used to make for us on Fridays during Lent, when meat was a no-no -- same ingredients plus some red bell pepper for color. She definitely added lots of pecorino romano, too...
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 5:03PM on 08/11/07
I loveeeee Summer squash (heck, Winter squash too for that matter)! This pic is so darned cute though! I never saw such plump, lil' dumplings of squash in my life! They are usually elongated and not all chubby...so cute! *MUAH*! :D
Oh! And, I love my summer squash just olive oiled up a bit with some fresh lemon thyme, fresh ground pepper and some kosher salt...real simple and REALLY good! If you want to UP it a notch, you can make some cucumber dip but I love mine just about naked. :)
cheffy at 7:43PM on 08/12/07