Sweet Summer Corn Spaghetti

I wanted to go all alliteration-y on you and call this Sweet Summer Squash Spaghetti, but there's proportionately more corn than squash in this dish and I cannot tell a lie.

Since we're not telling lies, I'm going to tell you that this dish was pretty simple to make and surprisingly good. Though, it shouldn't be surprising when you get all your favorite produce at this awesome farm off the Towpath Trail named Szalay's Sweet Corn Farm. Guitar Boy and I bike, pick up some goods, and bike back home. It's the good life.

(Photo Credit: http://www.summitmetroparks.org/parksandtrails/TowpathTrail.aspx)

So, here's what you need to have. (This will serve 2 big portions):

• Enough spaghetti for two (I prefer whole wheat for its taste and health benefits, so why not?)
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 zucchini, cut into half and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• Splash of dry white wine (optional, see method below)
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp Mediterranean, Greek, or Italian seasoning (or your favorite)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 a pint of grape tomatoes (give or take depending on your preference,) halved
• 2 sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob
• 2 garlic scapes, minced (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Basil and a handful of Parmesan cheese for garnish

And here's how you make it:

• Prepare a pot of salted water to boil the spaghetti while cooking the vegetables.
• In a large pan, warm up some olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until softened as well, another 4-5 minutes. 
• Here, I added a splash of white wine because I was getting some burned bits at the bottom of the pan and wanted to deglaze it. This is purely optional. If you're doing this, let it cook down to about 1/3 the amount. 
• Season with your preferred seasoning and garlic and cook about 30 seconds until you can smell the garlicky goodness. (Mmm, I'm a big fan of garlic. The more, the better, but adjust to your desired garlicky level.) Then, stir in the halved grape (or cherry) tomatoes with the corn and the optional garlic scape, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the tomatoes release their juices and the corn warm through, about a few more minutes. Reduce to low.
• Using tongs or whatever else you'd like, transfer the cooked spaghetti to the vegetable pan. Add a few spoonfuls of the spaghetti water to help create a sauce. Then throw in as much cheese as you like, I used about a palmful, and let the dish meld together. Serve with shredded basil and cheese on top.

This dish can really be made with any sort of vegetables you like. Use peas instead of corn, add broccoli, swap zucchini for eggplant, whatever you like. Most of my recipes are variations of other recipes I've done, read about, or been told about. It's pretty tough to go wrong with a dish like this!

What's your favorite summer produce to pick up at the farm or the market?