{the dish} Spanish Peak Summer Pasta

A family vacation ... 13 hours in a car ... sleep, read, watch, dream... think of all you have done and all you want to do. I love a good car trip - feet fight and all! It is amazing how clear and crisp colorado is. It was like looking though my camera lens all the time. Like a filter was on my eyes. The humidity of Texas was gone.

Beautiful!

When we visit my mom we always make our way down town to the bakery for some excellent pastries and outstanding sandwiches and salads. The community table, the hi how are you's , all are welcoming and a delight.

It is beautiful and relaxing. We needed a meal to match that mood. Summer pasta with a whole bunch of veggies couldn't be more easy, relaxing and it's beautiful too. A wonderful match!

summer pasta by ann west

The ingredients really depends on what looks good at your market. So feel free to make this your own and experiment with ingredients. The two ingredients I think are essential are tomatoes, basil and parmesan.

Here is what we had in ours:

1 eggplant sliced

1-2 large zucchini sliced

1/2 red onion sliced

garlic

cherry tomatoes

spinach

parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

lemon

olive oil

red pepper flakes

pasta of your choice - we used penne

Take all you veggies (except the spinach) & garlic and toss with olive oil and roast at 375 for 20 - 30 min. or until done. Place two or three handfuls of spinach in the bottom of a bowl. In the meantime cook your pasta and drain. Throw the hot pasta on the spinach and let it sit. The heat of the pasta will wilt the spinach just perfect. Add the roasted veggies, olive oil, red pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Give a squeeze of lemon and generously sprinkle with the cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Below is another couple of shot in town. Famous charlies! We went in for the noted cinnamon ice cream. The boys cam out with a grape soda float and a root beer float. Sounds sooooo good right now.

enjoy summer!