Summer Vegetable Pasta

Last week I visited Mike's Organic Delivery in Stamford, CT, a service that provides local, organic, and sustainable food, along with the ease of delivery (for anyone in a 20 mile radius of their Stamford location). I had to make the trek to pick up my bounty in person, but that afforded me the ability to shop as I normally would, impulsively.

I knew I wanted to get things to put together a meal, and naturally pasta is my go-to. There were only gluten free pasta options, but I was steered in the direction of the Edison quinoa and rice spaghetti. I can honestly say it exceeded my expectations, and did taste like the gluten filled pasta I love.

Next I found myself gravitating to the gorgeous little Italian Eggplants with the most beautiful coloring. On a bit of a purple kick, I got purple bell peppers, and purple onions. There were no purple cherry tomatoes, so I grabbed the yellow. I didn't want to risk getting a meat as I knew I had a long drive in traffic ahead of me, so I chose a bree-like cheese, Camembert. I also got little carrots, even though I wasn't sure how they would factor into a pasta dish (they didn't) but they were cute and went into a salad instead.

As for the actual prep of the meal, my initial thought was to simply roast the veggies. Simple, one pan lined with parchment for easy clean up. However it was 95° with 95% humidity, so that idea got nixed. Next I thought I'd put everything on the grill, with the tomatoes in a nice little foil packet. But it started to downpour as soon as I turned on the grill, and I was soaked through and through by the time the eggplants and peppers were done, so the rest was done in a saute pan. Everything worked out and the dish was delicious, even if the production was a bit disjointed! 

Thanks to Mike's Organic Delivery for providing the food for this recipe! I was given this opportunity through SiggPay, my views and opinions are my own.

      

Summer Vegetable Pasta
By Cooking in Cashmere

A great way to utilize all the organic summer vegetables.

Total time: 40 Minutes

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 Pint of Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes
2 Red Tropea Onions
2 Purple Bell Peppers
4 Italian Eggplants
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
3oz Camembert
1/4 cup of reserved pasta water
1/2 pound of pasta of your choice


Instructions:

1. Prepare water for the pasta. Pre-heat the grill.
2. Prepare the vegetables; chop the onions, mince the garlic. Slice the eggplants and peppers into long strips.
3. Coat the eggplants and peppers in a tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper.
4. In a large saute pan, heat the remaining oil and add the onions and garlic, cook until onions are tender.
5. Add the tomatoes, cook until they have burst.
6. Grill the peppers and eggplants, about two minutes on each side.
7. Remove the rind from the Camembert and add to the saute pan. Leave the heat on low until it's melted.
8. Add the pasta to the saute pan followed by the grilled veggies and toss until combined. Add the reserved pasta water to reach your desired consistency.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.