recipe goodness :: grilled zucchini & summer squash pesto “pasta”

Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash Pesto Pasta

Summer is a time of agricultural abundance. A stroll through the weekend farmers’ markets is like a rainbow connection — ruby tomatoes, sunshine orange nectarines, golden summer squash, enviously green zucchini, deep purple eggplant. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to take your booty home and make a stellar meal. I’m a proponent of grilling just about anything {I’ve even been known to grill berries} — a little olive oil, salt and pepper is all you need and you can focus on the complexities of your wine paring, not your meal planning.

However, after making a large batch of basil-walnut pesto, I fell compelled to use that precious pairing before it went bad. A likely partner: pasta. But with the mercury rising to high 90s for much of July, a heavy meal was the last thing that appealed to my cravings. Enter zucchini & squash “pasta.” A few swipes of across my mandolin created thin, long strips that mimicked a tagliatelle noodle. Grilling only required enough time to make the squash tender and add some flame flavor. Once done, everything was tossed with the bright herby pesto, a handful of pine nuts for texture and we had ourselves a bowlful of fork twisting goodness.

Grilled Zucchini and Summer Squash

Grilled Zucchini & Summer Squash Pesto Pasta

1 zucchini per person
1 summer squash per person
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
~1 tablespoon pesto per person
~1 tablespoon pine nuts per person

Pesto {makes ~1 cup}:
1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts {pine nuts are expensive, so walnuts are a nice sub}
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a food processor add all the ingredients for the pesto and whiz until blended. Taste and add more garlic, nuts or olive oil to your liking and desired consistency.
2. Pour pesto into an air tight container and cover with a thin layer of olive oil to protect from the air. Cover and store in the fridge or freezer if not immediately using.
3. Remove the stem from the squash and zucchini and slice thinly lengthwise using a mandolin or sharp knife. Lay on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill 1-2 minutes on each side until slightly tender and shows grill marks.
5. Toss in a bowl with pesto and top with pine nuts.

Grilled Goodness:
Gourmet Grilled White Truffle Corn
Grilled Thyme-Cumin Vegetable Kabobs
Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Some Like it HOT Pollo alla Diavola
Bison, a Better Burger Worth Biting Into