For most of my life, my weekly routine has included a trip to the farmer’s market.
As a little girl, I accompanied my mother and aunts to the West Shore Market every Friday morning. We were the “bag ladies.” We were armed with stacks of what were known then as “carry-all bags,” and we certainly did carry it all from the market.
My mother knew many of the vendors from her early-married days when she shopped at both Chestnut Street and Broad Street markets in Harrisburg. Many of them had set up shop at the new market on the West Shore, and we had our favorites. My mother knew the best places to go for produce, chicken, sliced baked ham and green bananas.
When I was married and became a mother, the weekly trips to the market continued, often with two little boys in tow. We spent a lot of time there. People would often think we were leaving, but no, just another bag run to the car. I think we were “foodies” before any of us knew what that meant.
Late summer was our downfall in those days, and it still is for me today. I am dazzled by the jeweled colors of the berries, the blushing peaches and the bright red wedges of watermelon. At midsummer, vegetables at the market are piled several feet high on the stands, and they all call to me despite my carefully crafted shopping list. Why buy just one eggplant when they are selling three for $2? The same with bell peppers—I’m sure I will have time to roast them. And then there’s corn, which my husband won’t even eat (who doesn’t like corn?). But I am not deterred.
So, recently, on a Thursday evening, it was with some remorse that I looked into my refrigerator at all the week’s unused vegetables. And Saturday, my current weekly market day, was just around the corner. I decided to use them all, everything I had: green zucchini, yellow squash, peppers of all colors, fresh peas, ears of fresh corn and sweet Vidalia onions. I had plenty of olive oil, garlic and a pound of pasta, imported “bowties.” I thought this could be a take on pasta primavera, a pasta dish made with lovely, early spring vegetables like baby peas, asparagus and young spinach or arugula.
My late summer pasta creation turned out very well. The bright colors of the chopped vegetables almost reminded me of confetti and, thus, its name.
Confetti Bowties
In a large stainless steel skillet, heat several tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté’ a medium-to-large diced sweet onion and about 6 cloves fresh garlic sliced into slivers until soft and almost caramelized. (Take a while with this step.)
While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the following veggies into ½ inch dices:
- 1 each medium green, yellow, orange and red bell peppers
- 1 medium green zucchini
- 1 medium yellow zucchini or yellow squash
- ½ half cup fresh peas or frozen baby peas
- A cup of fresh corn cut off the cob
Take all of the chopped vegetables and add them to the onion and garlic in the skillet and sauté them very slowly until soft and golden in color. (I used a large All-Clad skillet with shallow sides that provided a wide surface area for cooking. You don’t want the vegetables to steam.)
In the meantime, cook a pound of farfalle (bowtie pasta) according to package directions.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour it into a large bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables and toss well.
Add lots of virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese and toss well again. (I didn’t measure these ingredients but kept tossing until the pasta was nicely glazed and coated with cheese.)
Top the pasta with a handful of fresh julienned basil leaves and mix everything together well.
You might want to experiment and try making this dish with different vegetables like cherry tomatoes or cubed eggplant or add them to the ones listed above. If you don’t like basil, substitute chopped fresh parsley. I added some red pepper flakes to mine, which gave the pasta a nice little zing.
Enjoy the harvest of early September. I hope I see you at the market!
