Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Renegade



Ah, October! When the days get cooler, we start to crave heartier fare -- soups, stews, roasts. And being the perverse renegade that I am, (I'll bet you didn't know that about me) I always make one final salute to the bounty of summer.




I read a story in the New York Times last week about whole wheat pasta. Now, I've always been a traditionalist where pasta is concerned. When I was little, I refused to eat any pasta except my mother's (renegade, remember?). I distinctly recall turning my nose up at a neighbor's spaghetti -- she used tomato soup instead of good homemade tomato sauce!

Even as a child, I knew that tomato soup was not meant to dress pasta.



So having read the story about the new, tastier versions of whole wheat pasta, I decided to give it a try. While I boiled the cooking water, I roasted some zucchini, onions and grape tomatoes in the oven with extra virgin olive oil and salt. When the pasta was al dente, I drained it and mixed it with the vegetables, and topped the dish with freshly grated Romano cheese.

Delicious!




So that was my salute to the end of summer vegetables, and the widening of my horizons to include whole wheat pasta. (And probably the widening of my waistline, too.)

But after all, keeping up my renegade reputation entails some sacrifice, no? ;)

29 comments:

  1. That looks soooooo good! Going to stop at the grocery store on the way home tonight and try to make it. I'm at work already and obviously not working :) Haven't had breakfast yet, so you're making me really hungry.
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whole wheat tastes so much better to me,I feel full in my body and soul. Your photography is so beautiful, I am almost tasting it! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would have licked the plate clean!!!!
    I'm going to try this great recipe. It is something I would absolutely love.
    Your images are gorgeous!
    YVONNE

    ReplyDelete
  4. Will have to try your recipe. My DH never liked any kind of pasta until I started using whole wheat selections. The whole wheat has more chewiness to it & really does fill you up faster & stays with you longer.
    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum! I am having trouble with letting go of summer...Tonight I am making a beef stew of sorts. It is time.

    Carol

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh yum, I'm going to get on board with the wwp too! Your dish looks gorgeous as well, have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks DELICIOUS!! I prefer white sauce myself, although I do make a MEAN spaghetti :0! I would love to know where you got your dishes. They are GORGEOUS and would go with EVERYTHING. You could e-mail me at robbing@brydonlaw.com if you don't mind. Have a beautifully blessed day. Your blog is always so calming and relaxing to me. I enjoy it so.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ladies, remember that the whole wheat pasta has another added benefit...it has more fiber!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love whole wheat or whole grain pasta.Macaroni and sphgetti even now they have whole grain little seashell pasta.I ahve been eating this a long time much better for you.But my mother doesnt like it.I like it better that the starchy other type.Its all about whats good for you with me, and Im enjoying whole grains fruits and veggies less meat.

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow my spelling LOL

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks healthy and delicious, you don't get that very often!! I have a bushel of tomatoes sitting here and I'm tired of canning...maybe I'll try this! thanks, Mary!
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is a beautiful meal!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mary, wonderful post! I really enjoy visiting this blog of yours. I will have to give this meal a try. It looks positively delicious!

    PS Mary, can you email me instructions for making a mosaic please? You did once but I can't find the email now.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I actually like whole wheat pasta...it has a little more texture and I love that. Plus, it is supposed to be better for you...so you can add more cheese and oil! This is my kind of meal...yum!

    ReplyDelete
  15. We made the switch to whole wheat a few years ago and I can't tolerate the white stuff anymore. The only thing is, sometimes I find the color a bit disheartening preferring the look of the white. Your meal looks delicious...tomato soup spaghetti sauce? Horrors!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mmmmm, delicious. Well here in sunny California I think we can still enjoy lovely pasta dishes like this one for a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I would have gobbled that all up too. It sounded so delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I tried whole wheat pasta after reading that NY Times article and my husband and I liked it! We tried it once when it first came out, and it was horrible then -tasted like cardboard- but now they make it as good as white pasta. You made a lovely prima vera sauce, Mary!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'll have to try it again, because the last time I had it it was like cardboard. Time for another go!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi, that salad looks tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  21. i like the whole wheat in the wintertime - it has a great hardy taste to it

    ReplyDelete
  22. That dish looks so delicious, pasta is great anytime.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm so happy....In your 17 july post I found precious tutorial for mosaic! In a week I hope, I'll publish my first MONDAY MOSAIC ......
    Your blog is fantastic!!!!

    Ciao ciao from Italy

    sorry for my English!!

    Maurizia

    ReplyDelete
  24. Made your recipe last night. Only thing I did differently was add pesto. It was beyond good! Next time I'm going to add some cooked chicken. Thanks so much for sharing - I know it's going to be one of my favorite meals.
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks, everyone!

    Welcome, Maurizia!

    Cindy, that sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love your food photography, Mary. Food always looks so simple to photograph but I have found it to be so very hard! And you made me smile about the tomato sauce...I was always horrified that my kids loved the babysitters tomato soup and cheese with pasta!

    I have grown to love whole wheat pasta...and now prefer it...like brown rice:)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I love to hear what you have to say!