Summer Garden Party & Grilled Nectarine Pasta

Let’s relish the summer memories with this Grilled Nectarine Pasta and an evening in a beautiful garden.  

Grilled Nectarine Pasta with Pesto & Mozzarella // www.WithTheGrains.com

Hallowed Ground Homestead // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Personal: Friends & Family

While I’ve started layering flannels and sweaters, there’s still so much summer I want to relive, relish, and share, including this summer garden party. We gathered at Hallowed Ground Homestead to celebrate the season, to combine our respective ingredients into one dish, and to give a warm welcome to Marlene’s parents. Finding bonds with my friends’ families has been a bonus to our friendships.

Hallowed Ground Homestead // www.WithTheGrains.com

Summer Rose // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Summer Garden // www.WithTheGrains.com

Summer Garden Board // www.WithTheGrains.com

Summer Garden Board // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: A Welcome Board

Cheese & charcuterie boards have become so synonymous with our gatherings that Marlene’s dad has coined the term “a Quelcy.” As in, “Look, I’m doing ‘a Quelcy,'” at which point, he’ll hover over a cheeseboard (or any table of food, really) and pretend to take a photo. I’m into it!

Hallowed Ground Homestead // www.WithTheGrains.com

Hallowed Ground Homestead // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Summer Garden // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Summer Garden // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Summer Garden // www.WithTheGrains.com

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled Peach Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: A Collaborative Gathering with Grilled Nectarine Pasta

What’s a collaborative gathering?

This is how my friend group often approaches dinners together. Each of us brings a component, we supplement from the garden, and we all pitch in with the prep work. (Admittedly, my “pitching in” is often documenting the process, but that does come in handy from time to time when we try to repeat an idea.) This approach makes dinner parties more approachable. With everyone pitching in, there’s less pressure on the host to cover all the costs, cooking, and clean up.

For this dinner, we combined Chris and Josh’s garden pesto with my surplus of Italian pasta. I brought corn and nectarines for Marlene’s grilling expertise. Everything came together to form a grilled nectarine pasta and salad that captured the sweetness of summer produce in every bite.

Grilling Nectarines for Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

Summer Garden Party // www.WithTheGrains.com

Summer Garden Party // www.WithTheGrains.com

Smoked & Spatchcocked Chicken // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: Smoked Spatchcocked Chicken

Marlene’s meat smoking and grilling habits are a huge perk of our friendship. She spatchcocked and smoked local chicken, then finished it on the grill (while Julep waited patiently for a few taster bites).

Happy Julep // www.WithTheGrains.com

Smoked & Spatchcocked Chicken // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: Meat Smoker & Grill Tips

If you’re interested in smoking and grilling methods, Marlene shares her tips and insights on her dedicated Instagram account.

Smoked & Spatchcocked Chicken // www.WithTheGrains.com

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled Peach Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled Nectarine Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: Make it Vegetarian Friendly

This type of dinner party spread would work well if you’re hosting vegetarians at the same table. Even though we’re all meat-eaters, we served the chicken on the side to make sure we all received a fair share, then folded it into the pasta on our plates.

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled Nectarine Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled PeachNectarine Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Food: A Non-Recipe Recipe

The beauty of this grilled nectarine pasta is its simplicity. We brainstormed the flavor combinations we wanted and threw them together, so there are no official quantities or directions. If you want a more concrete guide to these flavors, try this Pesto Peach Chicken recipe from Half-Baked Harvest.

Collaborative Gatherings with Grilled Nectarine Pasta // www.WithTheGrains.com

Of course, I couldn’t miss an opportunity to share my baking with the special guests, so there was dessert too – a Nectarine & Plum Frangipane Tart with Sweet Corn Ice Cream on the side.  Stay tuned for that recipe.

GF Frangipane Plum Tart // www.WithTheGrains.com

The Mint ‘n Maple Corner:

It was just the minty girl, Julep, at this party. We didn’t think Maple was ready for a garden party yet. Too much freedom. Julep was a queen of restraint and was surely rewarded with meat snacks for her best behavior.

Restraint // www.WithTheGrains.com

Happy Julep // www.WithTheGrains.com

Happy Julep // www.WithTheGrains.com

You Might Also Like: BYOT (Bring Your Own Toppings) Brunch Flatbreads

Here’s another chance for a collaborative gathering. You bake the amaranth flatbread ahead of time, then load it up with ingredients from friends. Find this recipe and more in my book, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook.

Bring Your Own Toppings Brunch Flatbreads // The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook // www.WithTheGrains.com

Grilled Nectarine Pasta

The beauty of this grilled nectarine pasta is its simplicity. At its core, it's a flavor pairing suggestion. There’s no official quantities or directions, so you can adapt the dish to your taste.
Course: Main Course, Salad
Author: Quelcy Kogel

Ingredients

  • pappardelle or fettuccine pasta
  • Olive oil
  • Pesto
  • Salt & pepper
  • grilled corn
  • grilled nectarines
  • Fresh mozzarella or burrata
  • Smoked/grilled chicken
  • Fresh basil to garnish

Directions

  • Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions and to your desired texture preferences. Toss the cooked & drained pasta with olive oil, then stir in the pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the grilled corn, nectarines, and mozzarella, and stir to combine.
  • Fold in the smoked/grilled chicken, or serve it on the side to keep the pasta vegetarian. Garnish with fresh basil.
  • Alternatively: Serve everything over a bed of garden greens instead of pasta for a robust salad option that can serve as a main dish.

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