Pasta Primavera: Bow tie pasta with early spring vegetables
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I love this time of year when the first of the early spring vegetables start to hit the market. Pencil-thin asparagus, tiny peas, and tender fava beans are among my favorites, so I just had to make pasta primavera with these spring farmers’ market beauties.
But the nice thing about pasta primavera is that it’s versatile enough to work well with all kinds of produce. Asparagus not looking so good? Use artichokes instead! Are those gorgeous ramps on sale this week? Use those! Just pick whatever’s fresh and delicious in your market and you can’t go wrong.
This dish is inspired by the original Spaghetti alla Primavera from Sirio Maccioni, co-owner of Le Cirque restaurant in New York City–it’s a real Italian-American classic. I’ve lightened the dish up by using no butter and less cream, and this keeps the spring vegetables in sharp focus. Instead, pasta water creates a flavorful broth as the base of the sauce and bow tie pasta instead of spaghetti guarantees you get some veggies with every bite.
I prefer the more robust ricotta salata flavor instead of parmigiano as a finishing note, but different strokes, right? And extra virgin olive oil does put some fat back into this really healthy, full-flavored taste of springtime, I’ll give you that, but come on, a little ain’t gonna kill ya.
I made farfalle alla primavera a few years ago at my cooking demonstration and tasting at The Villages in San Jose. I was cooking for 50 Italian-Americans and wannabes and I needed a boat-load of vegetables, so while setting up for the show I enlisted a dozen of my students to shell the peas and fava beans and cut the asparagus. When all the work was done, one of my prep helpers said “Next time use frozen!” Well, of course you can, but it won’t be as good as using fresh from the farmer’s market–the extra work means extra flavor and who don’t want that?
The full flavor of the spring vegetables rule this simple, uncluttered pasta dish that is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. After you shell the peas and fava that is. Just make sure none of your helpers throw them pea pods at ya.
And if you like this, also try my recipe for spring asparagus frittata. It’s another great way to get spring on a plate.
Buon appetito!
- 1 cup fava beans
- 1 pound or 500 grams Farfalle dried pasta
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 spring onions, cut in 1-inch slices
- 8 thin asparagus spears, cut on a bias in 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup shelled fresh peas
- 10 ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 5 basil leaves, ripped by hand
- 1/4 cup grated ricotta salata or grated parmigiano
- sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and finishing olive oil to taste
- Remove the fava beans from the pod and blanch them in the hot pasta water for a minute or two. Take the fava beans out of the water and when cool remove the wrinkled skin from the fava.
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Add the farfalle to the boiling water and cook until just al dente.
- In the meantime, put a large saute pan over medium-high and add 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil and add the garlic.
- When the garlic starts to give off its aroma add the spring onion.
- When the onion is translucent, add the asparagus and fava beans sprinkle with sea salt and sauté for a minute or two until the asparagus takes on a deeper green color.
- Add a cup of the pasta water to the sauté pan and cover the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the asparagus and fava are tender.
- Add the peas and cherry tomatoes, another cup of pasta water and cook until the peas and tomatoes are wrinkled, for a minute or two more.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the cream and mix well. Cook to reduce and thicken the sauce.
- Drain the farfalle when just al dente and put them in the pan. Stir the farfalle well with the primavera sauce. (Add more pasta water if the sauce is too dense.)
- Stir in the basil.
- Off the heat add a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and the grated cheese.
- Drizzle the farfalle with your finishing extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
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