Summer pasta dish

With summer truly upon us, that can only mean one thing, and that thing is fresh corn and too much zucchini.  Our landlords gave us a giant zucch, which normally is no better than junk, but we experimented with taking the seeds out before cooking it, and that vastly improved things. This pasta dish was quite tasty, and a good way to eat your veggies, too.  I've been trying to cook my pasta more like how they did it in Italy (disclaimer: I have no idea how they did it in Italy, but somehow it just tasted better. Altitude?), and the solution I think I've stumbled onto is to just put a ton of salt into the water once it reaches a boil. Like, a tablespoon or more.  This seems to give a bit more chew to the pasta, as well as improving the taste, though it is hard to improve on the taste of pasta.

Side note - ever notice how when you're running through a neighborhood around dinnertime, you can always smell who's cooking pasta?  mmm.

Anyway, I recommend this one. Quick, easy, tasty, healthy, cheap - it wins on all fronts.

Summer Pasta Dish

1-2 zucchinis (for 2-3C of chopped zucchini)

2-4 ears of corn

1 lb pasta, small shapes

~1/2C chopped herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, whatever you've got on hand)

Grated cheese for on top

Salt for the water

Pepper to taste

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.  Once it boils dump in a lot of salt, and then the pasta, and toutouille (this is a well-established verb in Jospe households that means "to stir the pasta once you've put it in the water".  It can also refer to tossing a salad after you have dressed it, but is generally reserved for the cooking of pasta).

Meanwhile, cut the zucchinis in half, use a spoon to scrape out the seedy parts, and chop into rough cubes.  Cut the raw corn off the cobs.  Chop the herbs.  Throw a glug of olive oil into a pan, and saute the zucchini until it's soft enough that you want to eat it. At the last minute, toss in the corn, and cook that for about a minute.  

Once the pasta is al dente, drain, and combine the zucchs and corn and pasta and mix in the herbs.  Sprinkle plenty of fresh-ground pepper on top and grate a pile of cheese on top. Enjoy!