VENETIAN PANTRY

SHOP, DINE, DANCE

On the evening of Saturday, August 13th Amici Park will be transformed for the Italian celebration called Ferragosto. It's the time of year that the Italians take a break from the busy summer harvest to sit back and appreciate the bounty of the land, take a vacation and maybe even throw a festival or two. Visit the Little Italy Mercato in the morning to shop from the bounty that San Diego's summer weather brings to the market, and visit vendors like Italianissimo with their weekly offerings of Italian specialties. Then stay around for Ferragosto (buy your tickets online here) and dance the night away.

In honor of Ferragosto, all things summer-y and Italian oriented, here's a recipe for simple fresh pasta to be eaten and enjoyed al fresco. Start with  3/4 pound of fresh linguini from Lisko Imports and cook just until al dente. In a bowl chop up a pound or so of tomatoes (cherry, grape, heirloom, whatever your heart desires) from Schaner Farms, mix that with a handful each of chopped basil and parsley from JR Organics, a minced red hot chile from Suzie's Farm, a few cloves of Sage Mountain's super fresh garlic, a healthy glug of Marion's olive oil and a big pinch of sea salt from Salt Farm. Thinly slice a few baby zucchini from Tom King Farm and toss with the freshly cooked and drained pasta. Now toss the tomato mixture in and top it all with a generous dusting of Pecorino Toscano from Taste Cheese. Mangia bene!