Having a vegetable garden (potager) is one of the most rewarding endeavors one can undertake.
It’s a lot of work for six or seven months, depending on your growing season, but being able to grow and eat your own vegetables all summer, fresh from the garden, is wonderful.
Having the freezer full of soups and the cellar full of winter squashes and onions as the cold weather starts is very satisfying.
It’s also frustrating as hell and enough to drive any sane person totally bonkers.
In this dish I used a ‘white’ Italian summer squash, that is actually light green; 3 yellow Lemon Boy tomatoes, which are small, and 3 large red striped. cherry tomatoes.
Use whatever you have, both for the squash and the tomatoes.
The fresh lemon (not from my garden) gives it a light, summery flavor.
Pasta with Summer Squash and Lemon
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 medium summer squash
- 4 small tomatoes, roughly chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 small, sweet onion, chopped
- 3 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs fresh mint, chopped
- 2 tbs fresh lemon balm, chopped
- 2 tbs fresh lemon basil, chopped
- 1/3 cup feta, crumbled
- 1 1/4 cup (4oz, 120gr) bite-size pasta (penne, rigatoni, …)
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. When done drain.
- Cut squash in quarters the long way, then into 1/4″ (6cm) slices.
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add paprika, onion and sauté 3 minutes.
- Add squash, turn heat to medium and sauté 5 minutes longer.
- Add tomatoes, lemon juice, reduce heat and cook until tomato has softened and squash is tender, another 4 – 8 minutes.
- Add herbs, feta and remove from heat.
- Stir in pasta and serve.
I planted my summer squash from seed.
I planted 1 each white, yellow, dark green stripe and medium green.
That is what grew and that is what I’m harvesting.
My tomatoes were purchased from a variety of garden stores. I still don’t know if I was too early or too late when I went to my favorite, big store in Bordeaux, but the choices were limited that day.
It’s too far away to go a second time, so I hit the local stores.
I was not able to get my usual White Lady, Orange Queen and Green Zebra varieties but I did manage to find a few of my favorites.
However….
The two Ananas, which is a large yellow and orange tomato, are producing medium red tomatoes.
The two German Johnson Pink, which is a large rose-colored tomato, are producing medium red tomatoes.
The red tomatoes I planted are, of course, producing medium red tomatoes.
The red cherry tomato is actually a dark red, striped variety.
So far… only the yellow pear and the Lemon Boy are producing what I expected – and they seem much smaller than usual.
I’m trying to practice the old ‘appreciate what one has’ attitude….
So far with limited success.
Perhaps, next year, I’ll plant the tomatoes from seed as well….
You are so lucky being able to harvest and cook immediately !!
I am – and I almost always have a full counter taunting me to get to work lol
Maybe it’s just the summer of discovery. Dish looks terrific.
There you go…. That’s the attitude I need!