This recipe makes use of a few items you’d have a hard time finding outside of a farmers’ market- goat sausage from Young American Growers, and fresh whole wheat fettucine from Fasta Ravioli & Co, both available at the North Atherton Farmers Market. If you’ve never had goat before, don’t be afraid- the taste and texture is similar to beef, with a bit of a flavor that’s reminiscent of lamb. If you don’t care for goat, though, this recipe will work with other types of sausage too- try chorizo. This recipe also features several classic summer vegetables available in mid-July.

Ingredients-

For the dish-

1 pound goat sausage, chopped into 1-inch pieces
12 oz fresh whole wheat fettucine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small zucchini or other summer squash, sliced into rounds
1 small onion or 2 shallots
2 sweet peppers, seeded and diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For the pesto sauce-

6 sundried tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions-

Heat half a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped sausage and onions, and fry over medium-high heat until the sausage is thoroughly cooked. Set the sausage aside in the serving bowl, return the pan to the heat, and add the remaining half tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the peppers and zucchini, stirring occasionally- but not very frequently, as leaving the zucchini still will allow deep browning to occurr. Cook until the vegetables are softened and browned deeply in spots, then turn off the heat and add the tomatoes to the pan, stirring and allowing them to cook in the residual heat then add to the sausage. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In the meantime, heat the water for the pasta to a rolling boil, and salt it generously. Pasta water should taste as salty as well-seasoned soup, as a general rule of thumb. Before adding the pasta, drop in the sundried tomatoes, allowing them to boil and soften for about a minute before removing them with a slotted spoon.

Put the tomatoes in the food processor while the pasta boils for about five minutes. Add the olive oil, basil leaves, thyme, and pine nuts, and process into a paste. Drain the pasta, add to the sausage and vegetables, and then stir in the pesto to coat. If the pesto seems too thick, you can add more olive oil until the texture is to your liking.