Squid Ink Pasta with Sauteed Vegetables and Garlic Chives Pesto

I need a little lifting up today. I guess it's the rain, or the fact that I miss my kiddies and my family. I found out today that I will not be able to visit the family in the Philippines this year-- exorbitantly priced round trip tickets and a new job being the foremost reasons.. sigh...

I need me a pick me up, thus I headed to the reefer.  I have some Fresh Squid Ink Pasta that I got from Rio Bertolini's Pasta at the Charleston Farmer's Market that will go well with.. wait.. something sunny and yellow caught my eyes -- zucchini squash and lemon confit-- hmm.. a possibility.. yellow makes me happy. I pulled them out of the refrigerator, and I have this crazy grin about me, ha-ha! I I found more yellow yummies in my pantry-- yellow spanish onions, lemon boy tomatoes and cashews. I'm going to cook yellow yummies, then maybe, just maybe, the sunniness will be absorbed by my body.

Squid Ink Pasta, cooked al dente
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
2 lemon boy tomatoes, diced
4 yellow squash, diced
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

For the pesto:
1/4 cup cashew nuts
bunch of fresh garlic chives, chopped
2 segments citron confit, washed and flesh removed (use just the rind)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 T reserved cooking liquid from the pasta

Make the pesto.  Place the cashew, citron confit and garlic chives in a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds.  Pour in the olive oil slowly.  Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and reserved cooking liquid from the pasta.  Pulse a couple of minutes.  Set aside.

Heat pan, add olive oil and butter.  Saute onion until soften, then add tomatoes and squash, cook until tender.  Season with  sea salt & freshly ground pepper.