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In This Issue

A delicious twist on basic spaghetti: Baking it with spinach, sausage and cheese melds the flavors deliciously and creates a one-dish meal that’s almost as good as lasagna—without all the work. Use a smaller or larger amount of meat, as desired, or omit completely for a vegetarian version.

Serves: 4

Cutting Zucchini

Check out: “How to Julienne Zucchini” and “How to Cut Zucchini into Matchsticks.”

Vegetarian Option

While bacon provides an essential flavor component, it can be gotten with a vegetarian bacon, like Morningstar. Fry as directed on the package before crumbling. As it won’t produce any cooking fat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil to saute the onions.

Ingredient Notes

1. Corn Of course at this time of year, you’ll want to buy corn super fresh from the Farmer’s Market. While it can be boiled or microwaved, it is especially good grilled. Grill some for dinner the night before, e.g., and throw on a couple extra ears for this dish. In a pinch, frozen corn can be used, but saute it with the onions first.

2. Parsley Flat leafed is called for, and it is worth scouting out. The flavor is milder and more pleasing than curly leafed, although curly will do in a pinch. Perhaps use a little less–¼ to 1/3 cup.

3. Beans Pinto or red beans can be substituted for black. Baby limas are another tasty substitution. When draining the beans, catch the runoff in a glass jar, then use it to cook your next batch of rice.

Optionally, plan ahead and make your own slow cooker beans for a nice added touch. Use 1 to 1 ½ cups of drained beans in place of the canned beans.

Timesaver

If pressed for time, substitute a favorite store-bought honey-mustard salad dressing for the homemade dressing in this dish. Just make sure it doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients, colorings, preservatives, etc. Annie’s and Whole Foods both make good mustard dressing, although “lite” ones may need a little additional olive oil. Use ¼ to ½ cup, to taste.

Zucchini Salad Americana

It may be hard to believe zucchini can be sweet-tasting enough to eat raw. But that’s the case if it’s freshly picked, so be sure to use zucchini that’s no more than a day or two old for this recipe. Also, because it will be eaten raw, be sure to perform the Sliver Taste Test before adding to the salad. This salad is of the “wilted” variety, where a hot dressing is poured over the top, warming things just long enough to take off the raw edge. It is best served at room temperature.
Ingredients	Instructions
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 clove garlic, minced 2 Tbsp. olive oil (high quality) 1 Tbsp. honey mustard Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste	Make the Dressing Combine in a glass jar, close lid tightly and shake vigorously until thoroughly combined. Reserve.
1 med. (6-8”) zucchini (about ¾ lb.) julienned or cut into 1/8” matchsticks 2 lrg. ears corn, cooked and cut from cob 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed	Cut and Combine the Vegetables Combine in a large salad bowl. Reserve.
3 slices bacon 1 lrg. onion, diced to ½” ¼ cup broth ¼ to ½ cup chopped flat leafed parsley (or half and half, parsley and chives)	Cook the Bacon and Onions In a large saute pan, cook bacon until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon to cutting board and allow to cool. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon fat into a jar (for later use), then saute onions in remaining fat, just 3-5 minutes. While onion cooks, chop bacon into small crumbles and add to salad. Deglaze the Pan When onions are done, add to salad. Immediately pour broth into pan. Cook and stir just long enough to incorporate all the flavorful bits from bottom of pan and bring to a boil–about a minute. Assemble the Salad Pour broth into reserved salad dressing and shake vigorously again to incorporate. Pour over salad, then toss gently to combine everything. Taste and add more salt, pepper or mustard, to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately, being sure to stir gently before each serving to re-distribute dressing, which tends to pool in bottom of bowl.