Pasta with Zucchini

Great pasta need not come from the frozen food isle or Heaven forbid a card board box. With just a couple of ingredients it can be made year round, but this recipe is at its peak through out the summer when tomatoes and zucchini are abundant. When you take your first bite all the glorious warm feelings of summer will over take your senses. If you have been busy in the garden you will reap the rewards of all your hard work and back breaking labor.

The creation of this recipe came years ago after watching an episode of Martha Stewart. She had a guest chef on who was preparing a pasta recipe. His recipe included onions, eggplant, bell peppers and loads of fresh herbs. I kept the zucchini and peppers, but quickly ditched the onions and eggplant. During the winter when organic peppers are too expensive or impossible to find I simply leave them out. The key ingredient to this recipe is this: WHITE PEPPER. If you don't have any, stand up, grab your keys and rush to the market...now! You won't regret this purchase. So now onto the recipe.

16 oz penne pasta
3 large Zucchini (quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick)
1 large red bell pepper (optional)
2-3 tomatoes (I prefer Roma, when available)
3-6 cloves garlic (the more the merrier)
white pepper to taste
salt to taste

Before getting started its best to chop your vegetables. I prefer to slice mine similar in size to the penne pasta. Boil your pasta till al dente, drain and return to pot. Drizzle with olive oil. While your pasta is cooking sauté the vegetables. Adding your pepper and salt to taste. White pepper has a different flavor then standard black pepper so start slow and adjust to your preference. I like a lot of white pepper for its distinctive spicy pungent flavor. I also prefer to use quit a bit of garlic. Once your vegetables are cooked through add them to your pasta and give a few turns with your spoon until the pasta is coated with the juices of your vegetables. This dish is a very mild and refreshing meal, enjoy or as they say "bon appetit!"