2 Simple End-of-Summer Pastas (Perfect for Weeknights!)

Oh, pasta. Why do we love you so? That's right...it's because you're so easy to make and so versatile. We can take almost any ingredient and with it, turn you into a stunningly simple meal. And, there's always some of you in our pantry. Plus, you have carbs. And we love carbs. (Sorry, carb-haters.) (Not really.) 

Seriously, though. The two dishes featured here make the most out of farm- or garden-fresh ingredients and they can be prepped in the time it takes to boil the pasta water. It doesn't get fresher or easier than that!

Our first "simple end-of-summer pasta" is our take on Caprese salad, but in pasta form. It was inspired by a cheese made by Meadowstone Farm* of  Brooklyn, CT, and a pasta from Meriano's Bake Shoppe in Madison, CT, which is why we are calling it "Connecticut Caprese Pasta." Stracciatella (Italian for "little shreds") is fresh mozzarella that has been shredded then mixed with fresh cream. It's soft, delicate, and delightfully creamy. In this recipe, we mixed Meriano's tomato-basil infused linguine with Meadowstone's cheese, and our own chopped basil and chopped garden tomatoes. Voila! Dinner in about 15 minutes. Using the tomato-basil pasta added so much flavor, so try it if you can.

Connecticut Caprese Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used tomato-basil linguine)

2 cups chopped garden tomatoes

8-10 basil leaves 

1 package stracciatella cheese (or burrata or fresh mozzarella chopped into bite-sized pieces)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Set water over heat to boil pasta. While it is getting hot, chop tomatoes and basil; set aside. When water is boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta when ready and fold in chopped tomatoes and basil. Then fold in the cheese and season to taste.

*Also, check out this gorgeous salad we made with Meadowstone Farm's burrata. 

Our second "simple end-of-summer pasta" is one we made out of sheer laziness. We looked around one weeknight shortly after school began and realized that it was dinner time and we didn't have much to work with. A yellow squash donated to us by the neighbors (thanks, Whits), some sliced prosciutto from a Portuguese shop brought over by Amy's mom, some shredded parmesan that was in the cheese drawer, and whatever was in our garden. Okay, maybe it was time to go grocery shopping. And, this is probably why we have cats and not kids. But we did have pasta in the pantry (see above), so, we give you our strange little take on alfredo:

School Just Started Summer Squash Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used thick spaghetti)

1 tablespoon bacon grease (don't judge us) (use olive oil if you must)

1 yellow squash (or zucchini), cut into "batons"

4-6 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips

6-10 cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half (or milk, or light cream, some dairy product)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Set water over heat to boil pasta. While it is getting hot, heat bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, prosciutto, tomatoes and garlic, and cook until tender and fragrant. Add parsley and chicken broth, and cook 3-4 minutes. Add half and half and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add parmesan and cook, stirring thoroughly, until slightly thickened. Cook pasta according to package directions, and drain. Toss pasta with sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Honey Lime Curry Chicken Stir Fry

For as long as we've been going to the Coventry Regional Farmers Market on Sundays, we've noticed from afar the stand of Connecticut-Grown artisan hot sauces and condiments known as "Dragon's Blood Elixir." And we can't give you one single good reason that we never tried them other than we have some hot sauce favorites always in our fridge, namely, Cholula and Louisiana, and really, how many hot sauces does one couple need? Nevertheless, we've been ever-so-slightly obsessed with the CT local scene as of late, and Doug, the maker of Dragon's Blood was giving out tastes, and there was no line, so there you have it. We stopped. We tried. We got hooked.

Three bottles and a few days later, we thawed a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and prepped to make a stir fry with Dragon's Blood's Honey Lime Curry sauce, one of Doug's several "special" sauces, made with CT-grown chilis and other local ingredients. At our market tasting, he had suggested mixing the sauce with yogurt to thicken it and make it more of a stir fry sauce, and we did, with plain Greek yogurt. Since we had nearly every flavor profile we might need with our sauce (salty, sweet, sour, bitter), as well as great spice from the curry, all we really needed was crunch, which we added with celery, carrots and green beans. Next time we'll try a squeeze of lime over the top (we didn't have any on hand) to punch up the citrus.

This was a lovely, very easy, pretty healthy and quite delicious weeknight dinner that pleased the palette with its variety of flavors and textures. We served it over rice to balance the heat, and had enough for lunch the next day. This one is definitely doing into the weeknight repertoire. We might have to make it on Game of Thrones nights!!!

Honey Lime Curry Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound green beans, cut into thirds
1 celery stalk, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup Honey Lime Curry Sauce
1 single-serve container plain Greek yogurt
cooked rice

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add chicken  and cook until browned.  Add carrots, green beans and celery and continue to cook, stir-frying, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt and curry sauce; season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce into wok/skillet and stir-fry until everything is coated and sauce is hot. Serve over or toss with

cooked rice.