Three Sisters Saute with Sage Pesto

Last fall, at the very end of fresh squash season, I stumbled across this side dish recipe, and, given my obsession with sage (and the large supply of it growing in my garden) I cooked it right up. The draft post got a little buried, and by the time I found it, summer squash season was long gone. So the post overwintered in my drafts folder, patiently waiting until summer for its moment of glory! It's worth the wait, though, because this is a terrific way to use the bounty of summer produce.

The recipe was from a Food Network show whose theme was Native American cuisine, apparently. This recipe showcases a wonderful trio of ingredients; the "three sisters" tomatoes, squash and beans (or is it corn, squash and beans?)

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe calls for heirloom beans. Some info about heirloom beans can be found here and cooking instructions for dried heirlooms are here . I love the idea of using heirlooms beans, but this time my beans were more like relics - I used dried limas. I think you could use cooked fresh or frozen beans as well.

- I have no idea why the recipe makes so much pesto when only 1/3 cup of it is used for the vegetables. I made 1/2 recipe which equaled = approximately 2/3 cup.

the verdict:

We really enjoyed this dish. The veggies cooked up tender but not too soft. The pesto, which, by the way, tastes terrific straight from a spoon, took on kind of a wonderful dusky flavor on the vegetables. These veggies would be a great accompaniment to any kind of grilled or roasted meat. Next time I might try the leftover pesto on pasta.