Pasta a la Farmers Market

Farmers’ markets bring out the impulse buyer in me. I see the pretty colors - the yellow summer squash and bunches of big orange carrots, red Michigan apples and leafy romaine--and pretty soon I’m carrying my own body weight in produce, trying to squeeze one more bunch of radishes into my bag.

I came up with this pasta dish over the summer, after being given a bag of zucchini and summer squash that I didn’t quite know what to do with. I gave them a try with a little olive oil, basil and oregano, and these vegetables quickly became favorites. Surprisingly, the radishes lose their bite when cooked and develop a great flavor, and adding carrots to nearly anything makes me happy. The white beans work really well with all the veggies, and using multigrain pasta brings it all together. You can add any vegetable that sounds interesting - broccoli? asparagus?—and I’m sure it would be great.

There are many places—car dealerships, for example—where buying something simply because it’s nice looking and an interesting color isn’t the best idea. At farmers’ markets, though, you can’t go wrong. The odd-looking purple cauliflower might end up in the best salad you’ve ever made and that stumpy kohlrabi is just an opportunity to try out a new recipe. In the end, it’s all about simplicity and creativity, things that have color and go “crunch,” and some good olive oil.

1 medium zucchini, sliced and cut in half

1 medium summer squash, sliced and cut in half

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

1 bell pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 or 5 radishes

1 24 oz. can white kidney beans (also called canellini beans) drained

1 24 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes.

olive oil

2 tb balsamic vinegar

dried basil

dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 box whole grain pasta, fusilli or penne

• Heat olive oil in large pan and add onions. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each basil and oregano over onions as well as 3/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper.

• Saute onions until barely tender, then add carrots, zucchini, squash, bell pepper and a bit more olive oil to saute. Sprinkle on more basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

• While veggies cook, begin boiling water for the pasta. Cook according to directions on box.

• Add the diced tomatoes, with the juice, and balsamic vinegar. Cover the pan and allow to simmer for several minutes. When pasta is cooked, drain and stir into the sauce. Top with parmesan cheese.

Serves six hungry college students.