Savory Peach Pasta

I have been slightly obsessed with peaches this summer- ever since my mother in law brought a whole bushel of REALLY delicious specimens to the beach and we ate them every day. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat a peach just plain without sugar. As. Is.

I also LOOOOOOVE peach cobbler. (cuppa, cuppa, cuppa, sticka is my recipe of choice*) I like to put peaches in plain, Fat Free Greek Yogurt. I make a crepe with peaches and strawberries with a little greek yogurt spread over the top. In fact, when we were eating dinner at Roz's Rice Mill Cafe at the Hammock Shops in Pawleys Island, I heard about their special of a cold peach soup with cayenne. I SO regret not getting that instead of a salad that night. (And don't get me started on the delicious crab cake I had that night. *sigh*)


I pretty much eat peaches any way they come. So anyway, I had some beautiful peaches on the counter that were just begging to be eaten. We had gone out for lunch at Smashburger (of all things) for lunch so I knew I wanted something on the lighter side. I have heard of people using fruit in chicken dishes and what not so I did a quick internet search and came up with this site which was where I began. I departed from their suggestions a bit - especially with the oregano (Paul's suggestion) which gave it what I would call an "earthiness." I also did not use quite so much of the pasta water to create a sauce. So, below is my version of the recipe. It was really tasty!



Savory Peach Pasta

3 peaches, just ripe, cut into large wedges
12 ozs whole wheat pasta noodles
2 TBSP Olive oil (separated)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
Parmiggiano-Reggiano Cheese


Boil pasta and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water.

Heat 1 TBSP Olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Sautee peach wedges about 1 min on each side or until slightly browned. Remove peaches from heat and set aside.

Heat the other tsp Olive Oil and sautee garlic then add tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, cayenne and oregano and a little salt to taste. Cook about 1 min - just long enough for dried herbs to bloom. Very carefully and gently add peach back to the mixture. Add pasta back to the mix and VERY GENTLY toss together. Serve with cheese on individual portions.



*Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa, Sticka
(My go-to recipe for Peach cobbler)

Cuppa sugar
Cuppa self-rising flour
Cuppa milk
Sticka butter, melted
And a whole mess of peaches. (I like for there to be more peaches than "crust" but I don't mind it any way I can get it. I usually use at least 8 large peaches.)

I usually melt the butter in the casserole dish while the oven is pre-heating (350) then I add the other non-peach ingredients right in the pan. Then I add the cut-up peaches and stir it just until the peaches get covered. Cook for about 45 minutes or until it is golden brown and starts to smell like peach cobbler.  Depending on the ove, I might increase the heat for 5 minutes or so at the end so I get the color right if I feel like it isn't browning right.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if you want to be REALLY decadent!

Post-Beach-Vacay

Happy belated 4th of July! Hope you had a wonderful BBQ to celebrate like I did. Paul's family's secret BBQ chicken recipe! And summer sweet corn, YUM!

Only have to deal with 4 dinners this week. Had a great vacation week and even made some recipes I have posted here.

Sunday:
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Summer Vegetables
Thai peanut sauce from Skinnytaste
I know this Shrimp won't be as good as what we had last week. Paul's uncle had caught a bunch and shared with us. So incredibly sweet and delicious. Makes me miss living so close to the coast.

Monday:
Vietnamese Flank Steak and Rice
I will probably serve this with no sugar added mandarin oranges as well. Possibly some broccoli too if it looks good at the market

Tuesday:
Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage
I use the Smart Taste pasta by Ronzoni which has slightly higher fiber content so that affects the points value. But for my daughter, I just stir in some buttermilk and parmesan cheese and she loves it. Tastes like Annie's shells and cheese. Will serve with a mixed green salad. I use Basil instead of sage sometimes in this recipe and I like it just as well - depends on what I am in the mood for.

Wednesday:
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
I love this recipe. Feels indulgent without actually BEING that way. Yum.