Day Ninety-Eight - Linguine with Squash Ribbons (5.11.14)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked linquine
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 large yellow squash
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese, shaved
• 3 tablespoons torn fresh mint

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Shave zucchini and squash into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler; discard seeds. Place ribbons in a large bowl.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tomatoes begin to break down, stirring occasionally. Remove tomatoes from pan using a slotted spoon; add to squash ribbons. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid; bring to a boil. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Add pasta to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to coat. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta mixture to squash mixture; toss. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and mint.

Opinions

Katie: This dish was nice and light...and good. The shaved yellow squash and zucchini gave the dish good texture and also provided a good supplement to the linguine for more food (and was healthy being a vegetable!). The mint added GREAT flavor to the dish that I wasn't expecting to be great, as I tend to feel mint is a bit too strong. However, it played nicely with the parmesan cheese and the oil/spices from the tomatoes (and peas in our dish). The dish was also fairly quick - I feel that you could get away with shaving the squash and zucchini the night before, cover in an air tight container and store in the fridge until needed for the meal.

Potter: This tasted amazing. Katie did a wonderful job making this dish. It has a great blend of not only flavors but textures as well from crunchy with the zucchini blend to soft with the noodles and the tomatoes were just that perfect level of cooked to give them a snap and softness at the same time. This is the perfect dish for a warm summer evening on the patio or porch.