Pasta Primavera

[Chris Hennes]

It being spring, and the asparagus and peas at the farmers market looking particularly good the last couple weeks, I've been playing around with "pasta primavera." I'm not using any kind of recipe, nor am I looking for the most "authentic Italian" version, I'm just looking for how others make theirs. Last week's I made like an Alfredo, but with added sauteed peas and asparagus. Tonight I gently sauteed the peas, asparagus, and some sugar snap peas as well in some nice olive oil, then gave it a squeeze of lemon, a hit of garlic, some more olive oil, and tossed it with some linguini and parmesan. Bother versions were good but not great. Tonight's showed promise, but I think needed more lemon and maybe some black pepper. What's next? Do you have a go-to recipe? Any other thoughts for pasta/noodle dishes that incorporate our springtime harvests?

[Peter the eater]

Do you have a go-to recipe? Any other thoughts for pasta/noodle dishes that incorporate our springtime harvests?

It's still a few weeks away but I'm looking forward to fresh pasta, steamed fiddleheads, blend cream (10% mf) and cracked black pepper/sea salt.

[maggiethecat]

It being spring, and the asparagus and peas at the farmers market looking particularly good the last couple weeks, I've been playing around with "pasta primavera." I'm not using any kind of recipe, nor am I looking for the most "authentic Italian" version, I'm just looking for how others make theirs. Last week's I made like an Alfredo, but with added sauteed peas and asparagus. Tonight I gently sauteed the peas, asparagus, and some sugar snap peas as well in some nice olive oil, then gave it a squeeze of lemon, a hit of garlic, some more olive oil, and tossed it with some linguini and parmesan. Bother versions were good but not great. Tonight's showed promise, but I think needed more lemon and maybe some black pepper. What's next? Do you have a go-to recipe? Any other thoughts for pasta/noodle dishes that incorporate our springtime harvests?

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That sounds amazing, Chris, but I'm with Peter. You need some cream in there. (Fiddleheads. Sigh.)

[slkinsey]

It's a good thing you're not aiming for "authentic Italian spaghetti primavera" since it was invented by Sirio Maccioni at Le Cirque right here in NYC.

It consists simply of blanched/shocked Spring vegetables (the original contained broccoli florets, zucchini batons, snow peas, asparagus tips, baby peas and mushrooms, I think) tossed with spaghetti and a sauce made with tomatoes, butter and cream and chopped fresh herbs (parsley and basil).

So long as you use barely cooked spring vegetables, a light pink sauce and chopped fresh herbs, I would think the possibilities are endless.

Edited April 22, 2009 by slkinsey (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Interesting, it actually had not even occurred to me to include tomatoes in the base sauce. Based on your description ("light pink") is it pretty heavy on the cream then? Any suggestions as to a proportion between the tomato puree and cream?

[djyee100]

Any other thoughts for pasta/noodle dishes that incorporate our springtime harvests?

My favorite recipe for pasta carbonara with asparagus. Adapted from Good Tastes by Sherry Golden, a little known but worthy cookbook from the 1980s, now out of print.

SPAGHETTI AND EGGS

WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS

Adapted from Good Tastes by Sherry Golden

2 lbs fresh asparagus

4 TB butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup dry Marsala

salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

2/3 cup milk

4 TB olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 lb spaghetti, linguine or vermicelli

Trim off any woody parts of the asparagus. Keep the tips whole and cut the stalks into 1/2" diagonal slices. If desired, warm some plates for service.

Heat the butter in a large saute pan or wok, and saute the onion until it is tender. Add the garlic, asparagus pieces, and mushrooms, and saute over high heat until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until the Marsala is completely absorbed and evaporated. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a bowl combine the eggs, Parmesan cheese, milk, olive oil, 2 tsp salt, and more black pepper if desired. Set aside.

Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Just before the pasta is done, reheat the asparagus mixture until it is very hot. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the asparagus mixture. Turn off the heat, or reduce to very low heat. Add the egg mixture and toss quickly until the pasta is coated with lightly thickened sauce. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve immediately on warm plates, with extra grated Parmesan on the side. Yields 4-6 servings.

[Larry McGourty]

We have been rethinking Pasta Primavera lately. We really wanted to get away from the heavier cream and dairy based versions and do something much lighter with the 2008 crop of extra-virgin olive oil which is now available locally. This is a recipe we are working on right now for next month on our website http://theromantictable.com

On the California Central Coast we are getting a lot of interesting spring vegetables right now, including a lot of colorful baby cauliflower --how could you not want to do something with those little gems? The sauce of the recipe is a white wine reduction with a trito of diced onion, sweet red pepper and carrot sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, with fresh oregano, garlic and a little green zucchini skin for color.

We toss steamed baby cauliflower and campanelle pasta with the sauce and drizzle some local Tuscan Blend extra virgin olive oil on top with a dash of fresh lemon juice.

It is very light and the flavors of the vegetables are not lost.

[abooja]

Larry, that looks gorgeous.

My version of pasta primavera involves broccoli, zucchini, red bell peppers, green beans, peas, carrots, onions and garlic -- sauteed in olive oil, with some crushed tomato and a bit of chicken broth added to thin it out. I usually serve it with fusilli.

[KennethT]

Every once in a while I'll do an orzo dish in the vain as yours, Chris... I sautee asparagus and artichokes separately... Then I'll make a simple sauce of olive oil, chili flakes, brunoise preserved lemon (preserved only in salt), lots of rough chopped garlic that has been browned in the oil, sliced shallots, capers (if I feel like it)... hit it with some white wine for acidity and a little lemon juice... At the very end, I'll sometimes throw in some mint chiffonade - goes great with the chilis!!

[SobaAddict70]

This is one of those things where "less is more" imho.

There's a version I'm making this weekend that uses ramps, asparagus and peas, and a little lemon zest. No cheese.

[Lilija]

Every once in a while I'll do an orzo dish in the vain as yours, Chris...  I sautee asparagus and artichokes separately...  Then I'll make a simple sauce of olive oil, chili flakes, brunoise preserved lemon (preserved only in salt), lots of  rough chopped garlic that has been browned in the oil, sliced shallots, capers (if I feel like it)...  hit it with some white wine for acidity and a little lemon juice...  At the very end, I'll sometimes throw in some mint chiffonade - goes great with the chilis!!

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This sounds delicious, I'm intrigued by the idea of chopped preserved lemons in primavera.

[nickrey]

A recipe for Primavera that I've always found very tasty is one given in Diane Seed's book The top one hundred pasta sauces.

She recommends cooking each vegetable separately in boiling salted water until slightly under-cooked.

Add these vegetables to a pan with melted butter when you put the pasta on to cook, heat for a few minutes then add cream plus pepper to taste and heat gently.

Toss drained cooked pasta with parmesan and vegetables and that's it.

The thing with primavera is that it requires the freshest baby vegetables. Their delicate taste and texture is the centrepiece of the dish. Any additional flavours are likely to smother the essence of the dish.

[jvalentino]

I grill the veg or bake them @ 425 to carmelize them really well for my "primavera". Sauce is lots of lemon, EVOO, butter and Reggiano-like a vinagrette... not creamy.

Jeff

[Chris Hennes]

The New York Times has a short piece by Amanda Hesser up right now concerning the origins of "Le Cirque’s Spaghetti Primavera." In particular, it seems there is some dispute as to who actually invented it. The article also includes this recipe from the 1977 Le Cirque version: it's a bit more complex than I generally do, but I suppose that in order to get that many vegetables to play nicely with one another, that's to be expected. Among the ingredients are:

• 1 bunch broccoli
  
• 2 small zucchini, unpeeled
  
• 4 asparagus spears
  
• 1 1/2 cups green beans
  
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
  
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen pea pods
  
• 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  
• 3 cups 1-inch tomato cubes
  

(Edited to add ingredients)

Edited May 15, 2009 by Chris Hennes (log)