So it was a perfect day (summer was nice, happy end of summer, so long, ready for the next big thing) for a dinner like this. Just so you’re forewarned, D. has announced that when he is elected President, he will outlaw zucchini. Please enjoy it as much as you like, though...you’ve got a good two decades before the ban goes into effect.
I don’t really disagree, to be honest. One of the reasons I finally tried this recipe is that I had some slightly tired zucchini in the fridge that I bought last weekend because it was August and they looked so fresh and green and nice. But I obviously wasn’t overly inspired to cook or bake with them. (I always think I'll make zucchini bread, or zucchini muffins, and then I just don't.)
It’s not as though this recipe hadn’t already waited long enough. I think it made its debut in the Williams-Sonoma catalog last August and has rested in my clippings box ever since. I remember telling some friends about it, and the ones who made it seemed to like it. Our farmers' market is on Thursdays, so it was also easy to walk down for the corn and the fresh basil.
And tomatoes. right? I bought fresh ones at the FM but when I got home I started thinking that they would be much better on sandwiches, maybe even the BLT I’m very overdue for. So I cheated and used Muir Glen canned diced tomatoes. Oh, stop. Since it’s a cooked sauce, I really didn’t see the harm, before I cheated or after. As a matter of fact, though I was making half of the original recipe I made the full amount of sauce and tucked the extra in the freezer. It’s simple, but good, and it will make for a very nice dinner some night soon.
Speaking of cooking, that’s the only downside of this recipe. You essentially need to cook four separate components — corn, zucchini, tomato sauce, and pasta — and then bake them all together. So it’s unfortunately a little time-consuming. But for me, this is the best, most enjoyable kind of cooking, the kind that’s not too difficult, and where each thing that you do promises something wonderful. Sautéed corn? I could have stopped right there. Sautéed zucchini? Even D. might have liked that. (P.S. I knew his position on this issue, so like a good aunt, I dutifully mom’d him in other ways but made this after he left.) Tomatoes, onion and garlic? Sure. Catching a errant sniff when this is finally in the oven? Yes, please.
In my humble opinion, it’s hard to make a hot, cheesy, baked pasta that isn’t good; but this one is especially nice because it’s a little different from all those zitis. More vegetables than pasta, too. And though I think of corn and tomatoes as going together {summer, fresh, farmers’ market, etc.) I often forget how good they are together together. When I was rooting through the clippings box I saw a couple of other corn-and-tomato recipes that I’ve been wanting to try – a galette and a scalloped side-dish casserole. Maybe I still will, maybe even before next summer.
I hope the end of your summer, and the dinners that go with it, are both this nice.
Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini and Basil
adapted very, very slightly from a Williams-Sonoma recipe
for four generous servings (half of the original recipe, so easily doubled)
salt, to taste
1/4 pound (about 2 cups) penne or another pasta shape
olive oil as needed
kernels cut from one ear of corn
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 zucchini, about one pound in all, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise and then, cut into half-moons
About ½ cup diced onion
2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (or one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained)
two small cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (or a good sprinkle of dried)
a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.
In a medium-to-large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, warm about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside. Try not to sample too much of it.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and warm another 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Working in batches, add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the corn. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Same advice about trying, though you’ll be on safer ground with zucchini.
Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. {With the canned tomatoes, I cooked them until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 2 to 3 minutes.} Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more.
Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer back to the skillet {or to a baking dish lightly sprayed with nonstick spray} and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan or baking dish to the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
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