You can go your own way

This is an exciting food-related post for me because it's the first time I've really come up with a concept for a dish without relying on someone else's recipe.  I'm generally not the most creative cook, and it makes me nervous to stray too far from printed instructions - recipes that I'm fairly sure will produce at least adequate results.

But I wanted to venture outside my comfort zone, and I was inspired by my CSA box (zucchini again!!!!) as well as some food blog posts I've seen about "pasta" made from thinly sliced zucchini.  I added some sweet corn, roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs and ended up with a lovely dish.  Roasting the tomatoes and making the corn broth took a bit of time, but this work could easily be done ahead.

Zucchini "Pasta" with Sweet Corn Broth and Slow Roasted Tomatoes

For the roasted tomatoes:
Cherry, grape or other small tomatoes, sliced in half
Olive oil
Fresh herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)

Heat the oven to 225. Spread the herbs and tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 2-3 hours or until the tomatoes are mostly dried. (It depends on how large the tomatoes are).

For the Broth:
2 (or more) corn cobs, kernels cut off and reserved
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp salt
2 sprigs thyme
2-3 cups water

Add the garlic, salt and herbs to the water and bring to a boil.  Break the corn cobs in half and add to the water. Simmer for about an hour.  Remove the garlic and thyme. Scrape the corn cobs with the dull edge of a large knife to make sure that all the corn flavor has made its way into the broth.

For the "Pasta":
2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin strips with a vegetable peeler or mandolin
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic minced
Chopped thyme to garnish

Add the oil to a large pan over medium heat, along with the chopped garlic. Sauté for a minute and add 1.5 cups reserved corn kernels and 3/4 cup broth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and some additional broth and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and chopped thyme and serve.