Pasta Primavera & Peach Cobbler

A dish like this is comfort food to me. I don't really crave the more typical American comfort foods (mac and cheese just doesn't do anything for me). However, whole wheat pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce and served with a glass of (2 Buck Chuck) Cabernet...now that's more like it.

I checked out Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis from the library and while I love that you can check out cookbooks for free, there's so many promising recipes, so little time! I've bookmarked about 12 recipes to try so I think I'll be renewing this book for a while. This pasta primavera recipe is great; I did cut the amount of pasta in half and we still have tons of leftovers (I kept the amount of vegetables the same because I really like roasted vegetables). And since the vegetables are from the farmers market, they're even more delicious.

I had originally planned on making the peach cobbler on Saturday night but Bryant and I ended up falling asleep around 9 pm (he's on a hard rotation now but I have no excuse). So I made it last night and it was delicious. (I might have even had a little this morning, too.) It's the perfect season for peaches here and they are incredibly sweet - I cut down on the amount of sugar added to the peaches and definitely did not miss it. If your peaches are not quite as sweet, keep the full amount of sugar. You could also add other fruit to this dish...blackberries, blueberries, anything that's in season for you!

Pasta Primavera
Taken from: Everyday Italian
Serves approximately 6

• 4 carrots, peeled
• 2 medium zucchini (or one large)
• 2 yellow squash
• 2 red/yellow/orange bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp of dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence (I used 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried parsley and 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1/2 lb. whole wheat short pasta (farfalle, rigatoni, penne...whatever you have on hand)
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/8 tsp. sugar
• Marinara sauce and parmesan cheese for serving

-Preheat the oven to 450. Cut carrots, zucchini, squash, bell peppers and onion into thin 2-inch-long strips. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss vegetables (except tomatoes) with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Transfer half of the vegetables to another aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and arrange vegetables in a single, even layer.
-Bake, stirring after 10 minutes. Bake for 20 total minutes until carrots are tender and other vegetables begin to brown.
-If your cherry tomatoes are more mediocre (meaning from the grocery store as opposed to farmers market or garden), add 1/8 tsp. sugar to the tomatoes to enhance the flavors.
-While the vegetables start to bake, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally until tender (check the cooking time on the pasta box). Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
-In a large bowl, toss pasta with cooked vegetables, tomatoes and enough cooking liquid to moisten.
-Serve pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.


Peach Cobbler
Taken from: AllRecipes
Serves 4-6

• 3 large or 4 medium peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar (if your peaches are very sweet, only add about 1 Tbsp. white sugar)
  
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp. boiling water
• 1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
  

• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
-In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined and then add rolled oats.
-Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 25-30 minutes.