Rocket Highway

I am 3/3 for delicious pasta dishes this week.

From what is perhaps my favorite food blog, Everybody Likes Sandwiches, there's

fresh peas & zucchini with spaghetti
250 g spaghetti
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red chili flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 baby zucchini, sliced thin
1 lb peas, shucked
salt & pepper
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
10 mint leaves, chopped
20 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet and add in garlic and chili flakes. Stir about until fragrant and add in peas and zucchini, stirring occasionally. After a few minutes, season with salt and pepper and add in the lemon zest, juice and the basil and mint leaves. Saute for a few minutes more and then toss with drained pasta. Crumble feta over top and enjoy. Really, really enjoy.

And then two good finds from Cook Think, which I just discovered, and which is amazing.

Spaghetti With Strawberries
1 pound spaghetti
1 pound strawberries
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup pecorino

prep: 10 minutes
total: 30 minutes

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Trim and dice the strawberries.

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it's hot and shimmering, add the strawberries. Season them with a light sprinkling of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they're falling apart, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar.

3. Add a little of the pasta water to the strawberries if necessary; the sauce should be just loose enough to coat and cling to the spaghetti. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Stir in the pecorino and serve.

This is amazing both for its novelty and because it complements pecorino more than anything else I've ever had with pecorino. And I am a pecorino fan.

Also:

Penne With Eggplant and Feta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 medium eggplants, cubed
1/2 pound penne
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram

prep: 10 minutes
total: 25 minutes

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Prep all the ingredients.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, stir in the onion and eggplant. Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Leave the eggplant and onions alone, to brown, 2-4 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup of the pasta water and cook until the eggplant is soft, another 3-5 minutes.

3. When the water boils, add the pasta and stir. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the onion and eggplant, stirring to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the feta and marjoram.