Linguine with Garden Veggies

Sorry for the absence of posts lately. I just finished my masters exams! Woo hoo! I've also been busy being the teaching assistant for a summer program at Vanderbilt for some very intelligent and great junior high students. It has been a long week but a great one.

But I'm not the only one around here that has been busy. My garden is really going! I have some Anaheim chiles growing and the tomatoes are popping up every where. I would have been able to enjoy one of the wonderful beauties, except those darn squirrels in our backyard got to them first! I was so angry. If anyone has any suggestions on how to keep them out of there that would be great. I don't want to hurt them I just want them to stop biting and discarding my tomatoes. But the zucchini is great and so is the Swiss chard. So I decided I should cook some of it up and make a fresh, bright pasta meal, perfect for a warm summer evening (before a giant storm hits!).

Linguine with Garden Veggies
1/2 lb of linguine
1 zucchini, grated
1 big bunch of Swiss chard, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Parmesan to taste
Salt

1) After the zucchini has been grated add a pinch of salt and set in a sieve. The salt will draw out excess water. Let sit for 10 minutes then squeeze to remove water.
2) Boil water for pasta and cook linguine
3) Coat a saute pan with olive oil and add the veggies, garlic, and spices and cook until veggies are softened

4) Add the white wine and let it reduce
5) Once the pasta is cooked add it to the pan and add the Parmesan and cook until everything comes together. you can add more wine or pasta water if it needs it, just cook it a bit longer
6) Serve and enjoy!