By Duane Slyder

I love Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – a must read.  She lives in the Western part of Virginia and her town is so safe that she never locks her doors.  Except in July when – and I quote – ‘if you leave the house unlocked, you are likely to come home to a kitchen full of squash from your neighbor’s gardens’.

Being Farm Table Members we do get our share of squash and it’s difficult to move away from our tried and true meals and try new recipes. Here is one of my favorites.  Our two kids love it and it’s really easy once you figure out how to cook the pine nuts.  Don’t take your eye off them.  When those little brown gems start to brown take them off the stove immediately.

So enjoy and feel good knowing that with less pasta and more veggies in this dish than the usual pasta your kids are eating healthier.  This is easily the main dish for your dinner or you can add a bit of protein on the side, fish or chicken.

Ingredients:

6 medium yellow squash and/or zucchini (3 pounds), halved lengthwise and then cut crosswise into ½ inch pieces

Salt

½ pound farfalle pasta

5 tbs olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 ½ cups tomatoes dices

½ cups chopped basil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat until light browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes

1/3 cup parmesan cheese grated

Directions

  1. Cut yellow squash and zucchini into ½ inch pieces.  Add 1 tbs of salt and mix.  We are letting the liquid out of the vegetables so put it in a colander and set it in the sink for 30 minutes.  Afterwards spread out onto paper towels to dry.
  2. Cook farfalle pasta, drain and stir in the parmesan cheese while hot.
  3. Toast pine nuts
  4. Heat 1 tbs of olive oil into a skillet over high heat.  Add enough squash to fill skillet and stir until browned, 10 minutes.  Repeat with another 1 tbs of olive oil and squash til all is cooked.  Add 1 tbs of olive oil and cook garlic and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.  Add back all the squash and combine.
  5. Add yellow squash and zucchini to the pasta.  Put in the last amounts of olive oil and add the tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and pine nuts.  Combine but don’t over stir so the vegetables aren’t starting to break down.
  6. Eat