Late Summer Pasta

It's been a long time and I've sorely missed the blogging world.  Over the past few weeks we've covered a lot of ground and racked up some impressive mileage surveying college after college.  Thank Heaven I'm back in my kitchen where I'm delighted to belong. 

The tomato bushes (they refuse to give up) are still producing little cherry tomatoes in pretty shades of red and orange.  Honestly they're like fruit candy, so sweet and easy to pop into the mouth.  I rustled up this pasta dish tonight, full of the flavors of late summer. Tomatoes, zucchini and basil pulled from the garden and some toasted pine nuts and salty fresh feta crumbled over the top.  It's good to be back!

I took the time to blanch the tomatoes and skin them tonight, it really doesn't take more than a few minutes and it's worth the effort if you can stand it. 

Ingredients;

1- 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, skinned
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
A pinch of red pepper flakes
2-3 zucchini, middle removed and finely sliced
Black pepper
Sea salt
A handful of fresh basil and parsley
8 oz of good quality feta cheese, crumbled
14 oz packet of your favorite pasta
Parmesan cheese

Bring a pan of water to the boil, carefully place the tomatoes in the water for about 30 seconds, remove and run under cold water.  Peel off the skin and set the tomatoes to one side.

Toast the pine nuts.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet directions.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, add the shallot, sprinkle over the salt and saute on a low heat until the shallot has softened.

Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for a further 2-3 minutes, not letting the garlic burn.

Add the zucchini, turn up the heat to medium, season with salt and pepper and cook until they are bright green and cooked through.

Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Add the blanched tomatoes, zucchini mixture, fresh basil, more Parmesan and crumble the feta over the top.

Pile into bowls and devour.