Patty Pan with Cherry Tomatoes and Macaroni

Simple food is really the best! I've recently gotten into the good habit of going to the market on the Basel Marktplatz to buy my fruits and veggies. They are much fresher and taste much better than those from the supermarket (of course!). The other benefit is that I come across produce you wouldn't necessarily find in the supermarket, such as the patty pan. I knew patty pans from California, where they are readily available in the supermarket, but had rarely seen one in Germany or Switzerland before. Until I went to the market. And these aren't just your regular patty pans. These ones are really big. By the way, here in Switzerland they call them Patissons.

Over lunch break I went to the market today and bought such a beautiful pale green patty pan. At first I was skeptical because it was so big and I was worried that its size meant it was old and it would be soft inside, but the lady at the stand assured me it would be fine. I also bought some cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley. So for dinner I whipped up a nice meal with the loot from the market. 

Recipe for 2

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large patty pan, chopped into large cubes
Hand full of macaroni

2 tblsp. chopped parsley

1 tblsp. chopped basil

Salt and pepper

1/3 c cream

8 cherry tomatoes

Grana padano, grated

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the garlic. Once the garlic starts turning color, add the patty pan cubes and enough water to cover them half-way. Bring the water to a boil and then let the patty pan simmer until almost done, so still firm not mushy. Stir frequently. Add the macaroni and extra water if needed to cook the macaroni. When the macaroni are almost done, add parsley and basil, salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Once macaroni are done, add cream and let cook for about 2 minutes until the cream has thickened a bit. Serve with cherry tomatoes and grana padano on top.