Not your normal pasta dish!

The pictures didn't turn out real well (just imagine how happy everyone is seeing me run off with their dinner again!) and it looks real heavy but it isn't. That is all herbs, vegetables and a small bit of feta mixed in. I guess I should have tossed it first!

We were trying to pigeon hole the pasta dish that we had last night and there was no way we could do it. It has some Mexican, Italian, and Greek flavors but none of them were the predominant feature of the dish. When I first looked that the recipe I was pretty skeptical and I really don't use a recipe for past dishes, but I thought this one sounded pretty interesting and it was full of fresh ingredients so I knew it had to be good. Also a major plus was that I didn't have to go out and buy anything. I had it all on hand!

I found the recipe in Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool. This is a great cookbook for anyone who is interested in eating around the seasons.

Of course I added and changed around some things based on what I wanted to get rid of in my fridge.

Last-Of-The-Summer Fettuccine (Adapted from Simply Organic)

Ingredients:

1 lb of fresh fettuccine (we used a good quality Fusilli)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 a green pepper)
2 lg garlic cloves, minced (we used 4-what can I say-we like garlic!)
1/2 shallot, finely chopped (not called for but we had it on hand)
1 jalapeño chili, seeded and minced
1 lg portabello mushroom, diced (not called for but I had it and wanted to get rid of it!)
1/4 cup tequila (they say it's optional, I say it's a must)
2 lg tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions.Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the garlic, shallots, jalapeño, mushroom, and tequila and cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and oregano and cook for 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft.
• Stir the cheese and avocado into the sauce.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the sauce to the pasta and toss well.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com