Great Day, Great People, Great Meal...Sun-dried tomato Pesto Pasta and Grilled Vegetables

This post is not simply a recipe. Rather, this post is the outcome of perhaps one of the finest days we have had during our short duration in New England. It all started with a bicycle ride on the Minuteman Trail from Cambridge to Concord...the ring of our bike bells to call out the foliage...the brisk New England air that froze our Californian and Texan frames...graceful bicycle collisions in tribute to the battles fought near this revolutionary trail :) ...a trip to a Concord farm... and an amazing meal. This meal was a collaborative effort on the part of some of the finest New England has to offer including Mr. Kennedy, Miss Viskin (and her amazing parents), Mr. Mizell, and the ladies of 51 Porter Road. Beautiful Place...Great Company...and Amazing Food.

Menu:
1. Grilled homegrown zucchini, eggplant, onion, and peppers
2. Sun-dried Tomato, parsley, and spinach pesto pasta with creamy goat cheese

Ingredients:
-For the Veggies
1. Zucchini, sliced in rounds
2. Eggplant, sliced in rounds
3. Onion, sliced in rounds
4. Olive Oil
5. Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
-For the Pesto and Pasta
1. ~1 cup packed parsley (flat or curly)
2. ~2 cups spinach
3. ~3/4 to 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
4. 4 garlic cloves
5. Sliced almonds, toasted
6. 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil (depending on how thin you want it...you can always thin it out with a bit of the pasta cooking water).
7. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8. 3 oz. crumbled herbed goat cheese
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. A dash of lemon juice

Directions:
For the Veggies:
1. Toss all the veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

2. With the grill on medium-high heat...place the veggies on and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until tender but not mush. Get some good grill marks too!
For the Pesto and Pasta:
1. In a dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until golden and fragrant.
2. In a food processor, combine toasted nuts and garlic.
3. Add spinach, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper, cheese, and sun-dried tomato to the food processor and pulse until a thick even consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning and drizzle a bit of lemon juice over the top.
4. In a pot of boiling, salted water, add 1 pound of pasta and cook according to package directions. (Use a short pasta).
5. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining and then drain the pasta.
6. Return cooked pasta to pot and add about 1/2 the pesto and the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir to combine and coat all the noodles (add more pesto if needed).
7. Stir in about 1/2 the goat cheese till melted and creamy.
8. Pour the pasta out into a big serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped parsley, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, slivered almonds, the remaining goat cheese, and a sprinkle of lemon juice and parmesan.

Serve and enjoy... especially the company!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: No cuts!!! However, I did have an amazing team who did a lot of the choppin'...(Note: minor bike injuries were suffered and mouth burning courtesy of a Mr. Kennedy's peppers).


Taste? Renee's Mmmmm-gasm scale: Aw man, my taste-buds were sure in for a treat this crisp autumn afternoon. The wide array of flavors from the slightly sweet, yet spicy pesto to the utter deliciousness of the grilled vegetables, satisfied me to the very core. Overall, this meal evoked 9,5000 mmmmm-gasms. The pesto was very unique and distinct with the addition of sundried tomatoes, and the goat cheese was a very pleasant addition as well. The only issues I had were the hot as hell peppers that Mr. Kennedy roasted. (He did a stellar job with the grilled veggies otherwise!) I had no idea how hot those would be, and they burned both my and Kelly's lips for a good portion of the beginning of the meal. I was honestly transported back to Italy; sitting at the table with my amici, savoring a delicious meal, talking, and enjoying each other's company was just amazing.


Looks?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Hmm, this one's tough because the pasta was so damn good. The sun-dried tomatoes in the pesto made the usual bright green delight turn to a burnt brown color...not the most appetizing of colors. This statement must be followed with the fact that the dish of extra pesto sat next to me at the table and I kept trying to find new things on the table to eat just to have a vector to get that pesto into my mouth. Bread, zucchini, crackers, eggplant...my spoon! Whatever it was, it was better with this pesto! Definitely a recommended dish, regardless of the color!

Speaking of color...this New England place knows how to put on a show in the autumn. What beautiful leaves! Bravo trees, bravo.