Summer Pasta Dinner with Nectarine Cobbler

I brought over to new mommy & daddy, Lea & Tod's house, a hearty pasta dish full of summer vegetables. I basically took every veggie in season and tossed it with cooked gemelli pasta, feta, capers and fresh basil from the garden. To round out the meal I sliced some beautiful nectarine's, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar in a butter-lined baking pan, and topped it all with a cobbler dough.

Pasta Salad

1 box gemelli pasta, cooked with well-salted water

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs butter

3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed

3 farm-fresh zucchini, cubed

3 vine-ripened tomatoes, cored, de-seeded, and diced

3 Tbs capers, chopped

1-C feta cheese

3 Tbs fresh basil, chiffonade

Preheat large fry pan. Add olive oil and butter. Sauté corn for 1 minute. Add zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté together until zucchini is golden and corn is bright yellow, 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan, set aside in large bowl. Do not rinse pan. Toss just cooked but drained pasta in fry pan to scrape up caramelized sugar was corn. Add a little pasta water to help along. Remove pasta from fry pan and add to zucchini and corn. Toss in tomatoes, capers, feta and basil. Mix until well blended and feta melted evenly. Chill overnight in fridge covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nectarine Cobbler

8 fresh nectarines, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick

4 Tbs. butter, cubed and chilled

1/2-C sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-C self-rising flour

1/4-C sugar

1/4-C buttermilk or heavy cream

1 Tbs melted butter

In food processor pulse flour, cinnamon and sugar until combined. Add cubed butter and pulse until resembles coarse meal. With processor running slowly add milk. Turn out onto floured surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Cut into 6 rounds using 2" cookie or biscuit cutter. Refrigerate on parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Butter 8" square baking dish. Fill with sliced nectarines then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Top with dough rounds. Brush each round with melted butter. Bake about 35 minutes or until top is golden and nectarines are bubbling. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream for a special treat.