In addition to the various spreads I made to go with our fresh bread, I also slow-roasted some roma tomatoes and set out a locally produced garlic-herb goat cheese. Most of the tomatoes and virtually all of the cheese was left at the end of the party, however, so I made up a pasta dish for dinner the next night to use some of them up, along with the one zucchini I didn’t fry into roll-ups. The last loaf of pain a l’ancienne was a perfect accompaniment, and a few tomatoes still ended up in the freezer for perking up a meal later this fall—bonus!

Oven-Dried Tomato Pasta with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
12-16 oven-roasted tomato halves, coarsely chopped
3 oz garlic-herb goat cheese
6 basil leaves, chiffonade
1/2 lb pasta, such as radiatore, cooked to package directions

Saute onion until starting to caramelize. Add the garlic; when it starts to smell fragrant, add the zucchini and saute over medium high heat until golden brown in spots. Add the tomatoes and stir.

When pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a cup or so of the pasta water. Toss the pasta and goat cheese with the sauce until the cheese melts, adding pasta water to loosen as necessary and coat the pasta. Add the basil, taste, and adjust the seasonings.