We are in full-force summer here, and I LOVE it. I can get a bit cranky in the winter time and whine about living in a place that has nothing to do when it's 45 degrees outside, but this is the time of year when I remember why I love Savannah so much. Saturday we took the boat downtown to have brunch at one of our favorite the riverfront restaurants, Huey's. (Is there any better combination in this world than a Bloody Mary and Crab Cake Eggs Benedict? No there is not.) Sunday we took the boat to the beach for a few hours of picnic and play. And tonight it was warm enough to go swimming at 6pm and eat dinner at the pool. Heaven.
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Alas, with all of these fabulous summer activities comes the summer vegetables. Yes, zucchini and squash, I'm looking at you. In fact, I've been looking at you all week, wondering what happened to the delightful spring lettuces, spinach, and strawberries. Did you really have to crowd those out so early? Feeling a bit pushy, no?
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One of my very favorite meals to make for my oh-so-busy-little-family is baked pasta. It's ridiculously easy - just take your favorite frozen stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini), toss it in a baking dish with some pasta sauce, and bake covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Take out of the oven, uncover, sprinkle with provolone or mozzarella, and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted. This is a great dish to put on 'delay start' for your oven, and walk in to have it waiting for you.
(Yes, there is a point to all of this, I promise.)
Soooo, with all that squash and zucchini sitting around, I was struck with inspiration. I made a fresh pasta sauce to use with baked pasta the next time we have it, and it couldn't be easier. Dice your squash (I had 4 yellow summer squash) and zucchini (I had 3 of these). Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large dutch oven, saute some onion. Add the squash and zucchini, and cook over medium heat until tender. Add 28 ounce can of good diced tomatoes, a 6 ounce can of tomato paste, some diced garlic (I did 2 cloves), some Italian seasoning and a little salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring often, until the squash and zucchini are cooked all the way through, or until it occurs to you that you have better things to do. Turn off the heat, and using an immersion blender, blend until it's about the consistency of a store-bought can of pasta sauce. Taste for seasoning, adjust salt and pepper if you need to.
Delicious!! I froze mine in several batches of about 4 cups each to use the next time I make a baked pasta. Sorry no picture - I've been bad about snapping them lately. Happy eating.
