(Serves 4) You will need :
- 1/2 Red pepper
- 2 Carrots (used 2 long carrots cut in circles)
- Shiitake mushrooms (I count 3 mushrooms a person)
- 2 corn (cooked)
- Fresh tomatoes (the more the merrier)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 of a white onion
- 4 chicken brats (I get the Spicy Italian Chicken at Trader Joe's)
- basil
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bag of orecchiette pasta (this is my favorite pasta)
- S&P
First make the pasta by following the instruction on the bag. In a non stick grill pan add the sliced brats, carrots and pepper. As soon as they get a little golden color, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I have a two burner grill pan so I move the vegetables and the brats to one side and place the corn (to give it a little grill taste) on the other side. As soon as the carrots start to soften (this is the vegetable that take the most to cook) add the shiitake mushrooms. Don't forget to check on your pasta.
In a sauce pan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the 2 garlic cloves diced, keep the burner in low. Cut the white onion fine slices then add to the sauce pan. As soon as the onion softens add everything in the grill pan in the sauce pan but the corn. Keep in the pan in medium heat and add the diced tomatoes.
TIP: I sautee the onion and garlic in a separate sauce pan to keep the taste of the garlic and not let the rest of the veggies sit on the onion and the garlic for too long. Also when adding the tomatoes, the juice preserve nicely in the pan.
Dice the zucchini and place them on the grill pan, next to the corn. Add S&P to the zucchini slices and a little olive oil, not too much because zucchini releases a lot of water and with the olive oil, it can get saggy. To prevent that I grill it in the pan and then add it to the sauce pan.
Place the corn in a cutting board and cut the kernels, place in the sauce pan with the rest. The zucchini should be ready to add in the pan as well. First, remove from grill, make sure they are soft and cut slices in half to facilitate the intake. Add the zucchini in the sauce pan as well and set the burner in med-hi heat to make sure when you serve the food, it is still hot.
Serve pasta in a beautiful plate and pour the colorful mixture on top, you can put slices of a semi-firm cheese as asiago (fresh) and adorn with fresh basil leaves.
