The Art of Cooking Real Food: Pasta Primavera

Primavera translated from Italian means springtime, or spring-like. A pasta primavera is a simple dish of pasta (usually fettuccine or penne or farfalle) and lightly sauteed spring vegetables, tossed with a light sauce usually made from broth, butter, cream, and cheese.

As I mentioned in my Lemon Fettuccine post, while out for dinner, I ordered what should have been some pasta with seasonal vegetables and a cream sauce (in the case of this particular restaurant, the cream sauce is thicker, like an alfredo, and is usually a richer sauce than a traditional Primavera, which I knew because I had eaten it there before). Instead, what arrived was a repulsive mix of fettuccine tossed with an obviously microwaved frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix plopped into a puddle of corn oil an inch deep and smothered with what I think was canned Parmesan. We called it "I Can't Believe It's Not Alfredo" (or, more accurately, "I Can't Believe You Thought This Could Pass For Alfredo"). My fancy-pants phone was broken and I was waiting for the replacement to show up, or I would have taken a picture of it for you - it was pretty unbelievable.

Here's the deal: one cannot make a Primavera sauce without using real, fresh ingredients. In any case, especially in the case of one with a thicker type sauce, real butter, real cream, and real Parmesan (or, more ideally, Parmigiano Reggiano) must be used. Margarines or other oil-based spreads just won't cut it; they ultimately separate and leave your dinner drowning in an unappetizing pool of icky oil (as is evidenced in my dinner out). And since that canned Parmesan isn't allowed in my humble home kitchen, I fully expect a chef charging $15 for a plate of pasta not to be using it, either.

So, here is how I make our Pasta Primavera. Try to use a combination of the freshest vegetables you can find. In this one, I used what I had on hand: asparagus, spring onions, pea pods (and frozen peas because little sweet peas are so yummy!), baby zucchini, carrots, and a few broccoli florets. In the depth of summer, go ahead and use fresh green beans, cauliflower, and whatever else suits you. Shoot for about 4 cups of those vegetables for 1lb of fettuccine. Keep the size small and thinly sliced so they will cook quickly and fit nicely on a fork without needing to cut them on the plate.

I like to keep the frozen peas frozen so it will cool the simmering broth and vegetables, allowing for the cream to be safely added without risk of separation. Don't be worried about the thinness of the sauce after adding the cream and cheese; it will be thick enough to coat the vegetables and pasta will absorb some of it - it will be lovely. I promise.

And don't forget the salt and pepper. Since everyone has a different idea about how much salt makes a dish taste good, and some broths, butters, and cheese have a higher salt content than others, I have left out the measurements. Keep in mind that salt naturally brings out the flavors of every single ingredient in this dish, so be sure to give it a taste test to be sure you've added enough.

Pasta Primavera
serves 5-6

1 lb lemon fettuccine
2 Tbs butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups assorted fresh, seasonal vegetables, cut into bite size pieces
1 c vegetable broth
1/2 c frozen sweet peas (no need to thaw)
1 c heavy cream
1/4 c fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 c grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, please)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 c fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant; about 1 minute.

Toss in the fresh vegetables. Pour the broth over all, cover, and cook until the vegetables are crisp tender; about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, add fresh fettuccine to the boiling pasta pot. Cook about 3-6 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

Uncover the steaming vegetables. Add the frozen peas and give it a stir. Slowly add the cream and basil. Bring to a low simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toss the cooked fettuccine with the cream and vegetable mixture and parsley.

Serve immediately.

And don't forget to check out all the #pastalove recipes all May long!

May is #pastalove month!

Please join in on the #pastalove fun by linking up any pasta recipe from the month of May 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #pastalove event! The twitter hashtag is #pastalove :).

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