Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Our First Zucchini

It's easy to tell that Kevin and I are newbie gardeners. We just harvested our first zucchini and are ridiculously proud of it. So proud, in fact, we even took its picture. (We're not so ridiculous as to name it. Although, come to think of it, Zeke would be a good name for our first zucchini.)


Of course our first zucchini had to be the focus of a meal, so we decided on a simple Tomato-Basil and Zucchini sauce over pasta. Our basil plants are doing well, so Kevin snipped a few leaves.


Our tomato plants, while prolific, have yet to produce any ripe tomatoes, so I had to substitute a can of diced. When we make this recipe later in the summer, we'll use our garden-fresh and vine-ripened tomatoes.

One thing we noticed about fresh zucchini is that it tastes good raw. Supermarket zucchini usually taste a little bitter when raw. But our minutes-old zucchini tasted fresh, clean, and perfect for dipping.

This sauce couldn't be simpler. Just a few classic ingredients--garlic, olive oil, zucchini, tomatoes, basil--sauteed quickly.


We spooned the sauce over farfalle, added a little grated parmesan, and enjoyed the first delicious meal inspired by our garden.


Tomato-Basil and Zucchini Sauce

1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 14.5-oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 splash white wine
1-2 tbs fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 16-oz box farfalle pasta, cooked
parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and saute until tender crisp. Set aside.

In a separate pan, pour the tomatoes. Add a splash of white wine. Cook for 7-9 minutes until reduced to a sauce consistency. Add the zucchini to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the basil on top.

Spoon sauce over pasta. Add parmesan cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kimmie and Kevin, The Gardeners..
I used to love gardening, also.. You might inspire me to try it again next year...
Zeke,the Zucchini, is absolutely perfect, not a blemish. You can't buy them like that. Your basil looks fesh and healthy, too. You've become quite the gourmet cook.... I've never used basil in cooking..
It will be fun to watch your garden grow through your blog. Have fun and enjoy.
Love, Mom

DKerr said...

So, I tried this formula about a month ago and it was incredible. I have a habit of throwing in the kitchen sink when the garden is in full gear and the zucchini is abundant but this formula was perfect! I substituted fresh roma tomatoes from the garden. Thanks for sharing!