Courgette & Feta penne

Dear friends, first of all I'd like to apologise (again) for disappearing from my blog for a bit. But believe it or not, this time I have a decent excuse - I've been very busy moving from one continent to another and in addition to all the errands I've had to run I started the last bit of my legal education last Monday so my days have been full of trying to get everything ready. Also, I won't have internet at home until late October so it's quite tricky to get the posts up in the library without getting evil looks for not studying, so I finally found out where the closest public library is and signed up for that. But enough of the excuses and on to the food.

Last week I had a very dear friend of mine over from Estonia with her boyfriend so eating together took priority over making them wait until I take the photos for my blog, with the exception of our last dinner together. To finish the week off we decided it would be a great idea to have pasta, especially as we'd had chicken, fish and beef during the previous days. And as the autumn has arrived properly we opted for a very hearty dish - the moment I opened my pasta cookbook and found a pasta recipe with courgette in it that I had bookmarked ages ago we had to look no further, especially as courgettes are in season at the moment. 

One of the big perks of cooking from scratch at home is that the house (or flat in my case) is filled with divine aromas. Most of the stuff that I've made, especially the cakes, leave the flat smelling nice but I have to admit that this dish probably created the best smell I've ever had whilst cooking something savoury. Firstly the sizzling courgettes in olive oil, then the aromas of garlic (you either love it or hate it) and to top it all of some lovely white wine (I used Pinot Grigio). After it was done simmering for 10 minutes of so the whole flat smelled so lovely - very hearty and autumn like. Now add to that slightly salty Feta, aged parmesan and some wholemeal pasta and what you get is an amazing (and quick!) dinner to help you get through those cold and dark autumn nights. Serve with a glass of crispy white wine and you're all set for a lovely evening at home.

Ingredients
(Serves 3-4)
- 300g wholewheat pasta (I used Penne)
- 2 smallish courgettes
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 100ml white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 200g Feta
- Fresh basil, to serve
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
- Garlic bread, to serve

Directions
Firstly wash and slice the courgettes. Then heat the oil in the pan and fry the courgette on both sides until golden brown. Add crushed garlic and fry for another couple of minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted water, strain it and place back in the pot. Chop up the Feta and basil and add to the pasta. When the courgettes are done add them in as well, then mix well and serve with a generous amount of Parmesan.

Recipe inspired by the Penne suvekōrvitsa ja Ricottaga in "Pastaraamat"