[sweet or savory?] farmer's market fare

This past Sunday I woke up to a lovely, sunny day so an outdoor activity was required. I headed out to the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market to pick up some veggies for this week. I always enjoy the bustling market atmosphere, the vibrant colours of the produce and flowers and the scents of fresh herbs and the selection of fresh items to choose from. I planned my menu around what I picked up as usual, more than I had intended! (Clearly I really like green things.)

Fresh basil (for pasta sauce and a salad), giant leeks (for chilled zucchini, leek and mint soup),

regular and round zucchini (for pasta sauce, antipasto and if there's any left, the chilled soup),

cauliflower (will roast with garlic), garlic (with everything), green beans (steamed)

and (not pictured) some bok choy and cucumber (asian style salad) and some tomatoes (for sauce and salad)

I'd never seen round zucchini before. They look kinda cute.

(There was also giant summer squash but I couldn't carry any more by the time I got to it!)

Chunky pasta sauce ingredients. Recipe below!

Chunky Vegetable Sauce with Pasta

Choose your favourite pasta shape (penne or bowties are perfect, I used whole wheat) and cook whole package according to directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, saute one roughly chopped medium onion in olive oil. When they start to brown add in 2 large or 3 small zucchini, chopped. (Some mushrooms would be a nice extra.) Fry for several minutes until zucchini start to soften. Add a couple of finely minced garlic cloves and stir in. Two 14oz cans of diced tomato plus one or two finely chopped fresh tomatoes get added next. (OPTIONAL: a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.) Bring mixture to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is soft and cooked. Season with salt and pepper (and more garlic if you like!), remove from heat and mix in a handful of fresh basil (chiffonade). Serve a generous amount over pasta. I then put in chopped up, grilled hot dogs (the flavour worked perfectly!). Or you could add cheese (which I plan to do with the meatless leftovers).  

Easy to make advance. Makes around 4-5 generous servings.