A light, yet hearty flavored Italian dish to awaken your taste buds. This recipe is fast and simple so you can enjoy the days of summer!

Fresh Pesto:

4 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon minced pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Make pesto (optional): In a small mixing bowl, combine basil, pine nuts, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Instead of making your own pesto, you can use a 1/2 bottle of pre-made pesto from the grocery store.

Ingredients:

3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes

1/8 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (16-ounce) package of dried bow tie pasta

In a small bowl, blanch sun-dried tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain well, and slice tomatoes into small pieces.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic in 1/8 cup olive oil. Simmer for 1 minute, being very careful not to brown the garlic. Stir in mushrooms and let them sauté until tender. Add the pesto, salt, cayenne and sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer.

Bring a large pot of salted water and pasta to a boil. Let pasta cook until tender, drain well. In a large mixing bowl, toss pasta and sauce until the pasta is well coated.

Garnish each dish with red pepper or Parmesan cheese to your taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.