I fixed this as a side dish but quickly decided that it would be an excellent main dish. This recipe uses golden zucchini but you can always substitute green and if you prefer a meatless version, omit the turkey pastrami. Hope you enjoy!
2 c. of cooked pasta (I used macaroni, but spirals or bowties may have better visual appeal)
2 c. of thinly sliced zucchini
3 to 4 slices of turkey pastrami (or some other salty cured meat), cut into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 generous splashes of extra virgin olive oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
12 to 15 sweet basil leaves, thinly sliced
juice of half a lemon
dash of sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
crumbled feta cheese
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the salami and garlic and cook just until heated through. Add the zucchini slices, cook for a couple of minutes, tossing often, just until the zucchini slices soften a bit and turn semi-transparent.
Put the pasta and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the zucchini mixture. Toss. Add more extra virgin olive oil if the mixture appears too dry. Pour in the lemon juice. Season with salt, sugar and pepper, toss.
Taste, adjust the seasonings, if needed.
Add the basil leaves and toss a few more times.
To serve, divide the mixture among individual bowls. Crumble some feta cheese over the dish and serve at once.
Tags: Basil, Feta Cheese, Garlic, Golden Zucchini, Tomatoes, turkey pastrami
