A Sunset Supper
July 27, 2006

With summer flying by don’t get stuck in the kitchen on a beautiful evening– go out to play instead, and when the sun goes down whip up a bowl of Lemon and Fresh Herb pasta. Dinner will be on the table in just 15 minutes. A fist full of freshness is the essential ingredient of this dish. If you grow fresh herbs take scissors and clip bunches of whatever is growing: basil, chive, rosemary, mint, thyme, parsley, oregano, dill, and cilantro. Any and all combinations of the herbs will work fine, just chop them up and place them in a serving bowl. Store bought fresh herbs are OK too, but please, no dried jar herbs– it’s still summer!

Try cooking up a box of the Barilla brand of pasta cut into the Castellane shape. It’s a cone like shell that really grabs hold of the sauce and coats the pasta for maximum flavor. There are a million variations of this pasta dish– feel free to add shredded fresh spinach or arugula, fresh green beans, chopped zucchini, cheeses or tomatoes.

While the pasta cooks, toast some hearty bread topped with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve the pasta and bread with a chilled glass of white wine, such as a pinot Grigio– this combination of flavors is the essence of summer in your mouth. For dessert, simply cut up some peaches and zap in the microwave for 3 minutes. Combine the peaches with fresh blueberries and serve over vanilla ice cream or yogurt. The key to this meal is fresh and fast to guarantee plenty of playtime and maximum enjoyment on a precious summer evening. 

Lemon & Fresh Herb Pasta

  • Boil water to cook one pound of Castellane pasta for 12 minutes.
  • In a large serving bowl place a fist full of chopped fresh herbs, one fourth cup best quality butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil and one fourth cup crème fraiche (or sour cream.)
  • Finely chop the zest of one lemon and 3 garlic cloves together and place into the bowl.
  • Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon into the bowl and add 2 pinches of kosher salt and fresh pepper each.
  • Drain the cooked pasta and pour it hot into the bowl. Toss together all the ingredients and serve immediately.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008