Baked Pasta with Zucchini, Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil

As today is officially the first day of autumn, I thought we'd say farewell to summer with this great end-of-summer pasta. It uses lots of fresh garden veges, includes a bit of melty cheese, and reminds us just how great the summer produce is. 

Until next year, dear Summer!

P.S. I'm so excited, though. Autumn is my favorite (!!!) season. Bring on the pumpkins, crispy leaves, and corn mazes!

Notes: I've adjusted the proportions in this recipe from the original because 1) it didn't make enough for us, 2) we like tomatoes and garlic, and 3) we also like cheese. Mmmm....

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma 

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Buttery Tomato Pasta with Garlic & Basil

Tomatoes

Garlic

Butter

Basil

Pasta

Oh, and some salt. (Very important, that salt.)

This is one of those recipes that is deceptively simple. So simple you might wonder how it could be so great. Well, you see, that's just it! The simple flavors shine here and this pasta dish is just the perfect thing for a quick summer meal.

Notes: Since this dish uses just a few ingredients, make sure they are as fresh as can be.

Adapted from Lottie + Doof, originally from Michael Ruhlman

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Zucchini Rice Gratin

I state the obvious when I say that zucchini season is in full swing. Every day around here we are bringing in armfuls of fresh squash and zucchini from the garden. So goes the wonderful summer bounty, and we are so grateful for it. We're also bursting with plump, red tomatoes (my personal fave... sliced and sprinkled with a little salt... mmmm). So this dish was the perfect way to use up a good quantity of the fresh produce piling up on the kitchen counter.

Not to mention that it's also simply delicious.

This gratin is quite simple. You cook your rice, roast your veges in the oven, mix up a few eggs with some cheese and fresh thyme, then layer it all in a dish. A little more cheese. Bake. And voila! A yummy, healthy, fresh summer meal in no time.

I hope you all are getting to enjoy the fresh summer produce as much as we are! Enjoy :)

Notes: Upon reading the original recipe, I could tell two things: 1) it was going to be good and 2) there was no way the it would feed our whole family for dinner. So the recipe below is exactly how I prepared it for our meal. It is double the original. If you want to cut it in half, feel free to, but just know it will yield side-dish serving sizes. I also used a few yellow squash along with zucchini, and that worked just fine. Use what you've got!

Adapted from Gourmet, and can also be seen on Smitten Kitchen

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Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes & Oregano Pesto

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Plump, creamy beans + garlicky tomato sauce + generous sprinkles of tangy feta + crisp bread crumbs + a *very* tasty herbal pesto = Yum. Capital Y.

This dish is a great way to cook up a delicious, protein-packed meal. It also makes for a great side dish. However you choose to enjoy it, just be sure that you don't skimp on the pesto - it really completes the dish.

Notes: I always make my own bread crumbs; fresh is just so much better, in my opinion. Simply tear up a few slices of whole wheat bread, pulse them in the food processor for a few seconds, and voila! Fresh bread crumbs. For this recipe, you'll finish them up by toasting them on the stove and then add a bit of salt and parsley. Also, the original recipe called for only 1/3 the amount of pesto. (!!! Horror, I know.) So the amount below is my tripled version of the original. It's just too good to not triple. I am anxious to make this again... one for the beans, and two, for the pesto because I can imagine it'd be fantastic drizzled on all sorts of things: sandwiches, roasted vegetables, toast with egg, a hearty lentil stew.... Enjoy!

Adapted from Food & Wine

Garlic-Potato Soup

I realize it is now the month of May and soup season has pretty much left us, but I just have to share this recipe. And anyways, the weatherman says that a storm will roll through our area this weekend, so that is my other excuse for talking about soup on this lovely, sunny, and 73-degree spring day.

This potato soup is similar to the typical kinds of potato soup: chunky, thick, and satisfying. BUT it is different because it is the best potato soup in the world (I know! Isn't that great!) and it is so very flavorful, thanks to the gracious amount of tasty garlic in it. It even has garlic chips! (Read on, they're fab...) If you haven't noticed, I have a thing for garlic. We're pretty much BFF, you know.

Notes: I slightly upped the salt in my version because I felt the soup needed just a little more kick to pronounce the flavors more clearly. The original calls for 3/4 teaspoon, but taste as you go and adjust to your personal preferences. I also used water instead of chicken broth, and either will work great. Lastly, if leeks are not available, you can substitute and equal amount of yellow onion.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2007

Portobello Pasta with Rosemary & Toasted Pine Nuts

I'm in an adjective, poem-y kind of mood. I guess. (Not really, but it sounds kind of interesting.) So consider this an adjective poem dedicated to my faithful reader (hi, Mom!) who told me that she quite enjoyed her dinner last night:

Rosemary is really rad.
Lemons are likely luscious.
Parmesan is pretty pleasing.
Toasted pine nuts are.... totally toasty.... and pointedly perfect.
Garlic is gigantically great.
Olive oil is outrageously outstanding.
Portabello mushrooms are pleasantly pleasant and marvelously marvelous.
And pasta is superly stupendous.

(I ran out of P words.)

The point I'm trying to make here is that you should make this and eat it because it's good. Kind of really good, actually.

Notes: Feel free to use whole-wheat pasta if you have it on hand. I used orecchiette, which works wonderfully because it catches all of the goodness in its little bowls.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated, Sept. & Oct. 2009

Hummus

Like most college students, I had several different roommates over the years. All had fun, unique qualities, and we all got along so well. There are many fun memories we created over the years and the one I share today took place during my Freshman year.

It was a Sunday afternoon. We were all in the kitchen looking for a little pick-me-up when Daniella pulled out her blender. She dumped in a can of beans, plopped a few scoops of tan gloopy stuff inside, tossed in some garlic cloves, and sprinkled in a few pinches of green powder. Then she pushed "blend." After a minute or so, she took the lid off the blender and stuck a pita chip right into the light creamy stuff.

My curiosity was peaked. The only ingredient I recognized was garlic. What was that light creamy puree she had made? I asked her just that and Daniella said it was called hummus. She offered me a taste and I immediately had to know more about it. She explained that it was a simple chickpea puree eaten frequently in the Middle East. She told me all about chickpeas, tahini, and her special green spice blend, called Zatar, which came straight from the Middle East. Boy, was that stuff yummy.

Not long after, I started making my own hummus and have been doing so since that first year of college with Daniella. Though I have no Zatar picked up from a recent trip to the Middle East, I still think this hummus is quite delightful.

There are many different versions of hummus: black bean hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, sun-dried tomato hummus, chipotle cilantro hummus, the list goes on. Basically, if you can blend it, you can probably make some kind of hummus with it. This is my favorite classic version: chickpeas, garlic, hummus, tahini, lemon, olive oil, and a few spices. Hummus makes for a great afternoon snack. It's healthy, filling, creamy, and light. I like hummus served with pita chips or homemade crackers. It is also a great spread in sandwiches or a dip for vegetables.

Notes: The only special ingredient you need to make hummus is called tahini. Tahini is sesame paste - simply ground up sesame seeds. Think of peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds. You can usually find tahini by the peanut butter in most grocery stores. Also, I like the fresh taste of home cooked beans, but you can certainly use canned if you prefer, just be sure to drain and rinse the beans.

Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Tomato & Zucchini Tart with Garlic & Basil

I am so anxious for summer to arrive, it's hardly funny. This year has been a crazy one, to say the least, so the summer break promises just that - a little break with lots of warm (hot! yay!) sunshine. Summer also means the garden will be producing tomatoes and zucchini like crazy, of which I will not complain about for one single second.

I made this tart a few weeks ago with summer in mind. Of course, the tomatoes and zucchini came from the local grocery, but as soon as summer hits, I know this tart will taste that much better with just-picked fresh vegetables from out back.

Notes: I really love this crust. I use it all the time when making savory tarts. I love that it uses all whole-grain flour and olive oil. It's tender and flavorful. It's also a great one to add additional herbs to. I might try adding a little fresh basil to the dough next time. Also, this tart will feed five hungry people. I tried to stretch it to 7 one night and Dad was not happy. He wanted more. I like it when people want more... It means I did pretty good, right?

Filling a Flour Sack original 
Tart crust adapted from 101 cookbooks