It took more than two months to make the meal, but boy was it worth it. The snowpeas were grown, the broad beans plucked. The pasta had been lovingly prepared and awaited its dip in a pot of boiling water.

The end result included zucchini, cherry tomatoes and button mushrooms Stephan was kind enough to buy from the Prahran Market. A dash of cream into the pan-fried vegetables added a final touch to the entire dish. I don’t think the mushrooms added a lot, and different mushrooms next time would be a better addition. Everything else though, in my dish, seemed to work very well together.

As I am sure the others will have with their own dish, I pronounce mine to be my favourite. All were equally delicious, but also equally different in their tastes. Stephan used only vegetables from his garden, and included a small amount of mint which–along with the slightly crisp vegetables–resulted in a fresh-tasting dish. Trav’s dish was far richer and creamier than the other two, and the sheer volume of pasta was astounding. Mine, I thought, was “just right” and fit nicely in the middle, with the tasty vegetables and cream balancing well. The cherry tomatoes cut well through the cream as well. I was surprised at how well the spaghetti turned out, given the last time I made pasta resulted in the pasta maker being stored under the bed for more than three years.

Plans are afoot for a Summer Challenge now, with all having agreed it was a resounding success. The home brew beer we shared while tasting all the pastas probably helped, as well.