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Spring Pasta Dinners
With more light in the day, a shiner sun, and the clean crisp flavors of spring’s harvest, our cooking is enticed automatically to become lighter and fresher. We begin to see the first sprigs of fresh herbs, the sour bright rhubarb, green vibrant asparagus, earthy morels, fresh peas, crisp red radishes, wild salmon, and an abundance of other spring earth delights. With this abundance of freshness and our ingrained need to eat and cook lighter in our meals is important to remember that pasta is not out of the question for spring time. Pasta is not simply a winter comfort food; it is a light spring food as well. Paired with the freshest of springs ingredients and “dressed” with light sauces and bright flavors, pasta in the springtime can be a thrilling adventure and pairs beautifully with springs products. Use your time this spring to forage through your local farmers markets for the freshest of springs ingredients and with a little “food pairing” know how and a lot of enthusiasm you can make spring pasta dinners that showcase the artistry of springs bounty and still leave you easting and cooking lighter and brighter.
Springs Bounty
(A few odds and ends about what’s in season, and how to pair them with fresh pastas)
Fresh Herbs (Chives, chervil, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, parsley, tarragon, and thyme)- Herbs and pastas are natural pairings; just think creative pesto….parsley almond pesto, lemon dill pesto, Lemon thyme citrus hazelnut pesto, walnut arugula pesto…and remember get creative, pestos do not necessarily have to contain nuts; they can simply be herb, oil and other ingredients to make herbal pasta, excellent over pastas.
Asparagus- a favorite of spring for sure and although readily available year round the flavor is never as clean and crisp as in the spring for its very short season. Pick asparagus that has closed tight tips and remember to snap or cut the woody bottom part of the stem before cooking. Pasta and herbs, with sautéed asparagus tips and a lemon olive oil garlic sauce is heavenly to the pallet. They also pair nicely with peas and mint perhaps in a light lemon cream sauce. Asparagus as we know goes very well with eggs and can be excellent thrown into spaghetti carbonara pasta with fresh herbs.
Fava Beans- the ugliest of the beans and one of the oldest cultivated of plants, a prized vegetable in Europe, it has taken a little more time for this items to hit American mainstream markets but is has indeed done just that. An extremely labor intensive item but well worth it. First the beans must be shelled, then the beans must be steamed and have the wax-like casing of each bean removed. Well worth it this buttery fresh bean is exquisite in flavor and texture. Favas are excellent in spring pasta salads with light springy dressings, like the fava, fennel orzo pasta with lemon dill pesto. Also excellent with cheese and pasta like fettuccini with favas, garlic and lemon with fresh shave parmesan cheese.
Carrots- Earthy, bright orange and crispy, these spring underground delicacies can be eaten raw or cooked, sautéed, boiled or steamed. Pairing well with almost all other vegetables, carrots are terrific in raw or in spring pastas. Carrots are especially nice in the spring in Asian type noodle dishes like carrot cilantro sesame noodles, or carrot cilantro dumplings.
Spring Onions- Spring onions are the young tender shoots of the onion bulbs, more spicy than the average onion yet with a fresher earthier flavor. Used in all kinds of pasts and spring dishes, they are especially nice with peas and bacon in pasta or perhaps spring mushroom herb ravioli in spring broth.
Peas (snow, snap, shelling)- Sweet and tender, peas cause the most excitement of all the spring vegetables; there is something special about these little tendrils. Easy and quick to cook, 3-5 minutes top from shelling to eating. These little critters pair excellently with fresh mint, tarragon, smoked salmon, and fennel. They are perfect in smoked salmon pasta with peas, spring onions and a light lemon cream sauce. They are also great in an orzo pasta salad with peas mint and feta.
Morels- An extremely short season highly anticipated, a purely wild crafted item, the euphoria this mushroom creates is immeasurable. The woody, earthy, butter flavor of these mushrooms mixes well with peas, asparagus, cheese, butter & wine sauces, and fresh herbs. And excellent, but quite expensive addition to any pasta dish.
Spinach- Contrary to popular belief boiling the spinach before eating is not the best method, many of the nutrients will leach out in the cooking process. We recommend either steaming or sautéing and adding a little liquid at the end of the sauté process. A great spring dish is sautéed spring garlic and spinach over buttery lemon fettuccini. Spinach is excellent in spring pasta lasagnas and a healthy addition to any pasta primavera dish.
Homemade pasta is incredibly easy and quick to make, offering the options for flavor diversity. It is simple and cheap and with very few tools needed, we recommend every kitchen being equipped with a pasta maker/pasta roller, they are relatively inexpensive and they allow you to roll the pasta extremely thin and cut the pasta evenly. Of course you can do it all by hand as well.
Fresh Herb Pasta
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (total) chopped fine, basil, parsley, tarragon, mint, marjoram, chives
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons water
To make dough in a processor:
Blend flour, eggs, herbs and salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor until mixture just begins to form a ball, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Process dough for 15 seconds more to knead it. Transfer to a floured surface and let stand, covered for about 30 minutes for the dough to relax.
To make dough by hand:
Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add eggs, herbs salt, and 2 tablespoons water to well. With a fork, gently beat eggs and water until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form dough, adding more water drop by drop if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
Roll pasta:
Divide dough into 8 pieces, then flatten each piece into a rough rectangle and cover rectangles with an inverted large bowl. Set rollers of pasta machine on widest setting. Follow directions on pasta maker to roll and cut the desired pasta.
FreshHerb Pappardelle with Peas, Fennel, Tomatoes and Sausage With Pecorino Herb Sprinkle
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh grated pecorino romano
zest of 2 lemons (juice reserved)
1/4 cup each basil, parsley, mint, tarragon, marjoram, chopped
Plus an additional 1 tablespoon of each for the sprinkle
extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
1 fennel bulb cleaned and trimmed and sliced fine
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup shelled fresh peas
fresh herb pasta sheets cut into pappardelle
salt/pepper
Directions:
Mix pecorino, lemon zest and 1/4 fresh herbs together and set aside. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes, sauté for a few minutes. Add sausages; and break apart until crumbly. Sauté until brown, about 3-4minutes. Addfresh herbs and fennel and sauté a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and sauté another few minutes. Add wine; simmer 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Add peas. Sauté until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes, add lemon juice at the end and mix well. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Cook Fresh pappardelle in boiling water until desired consistency (about 3- 5 minutes) and serve with sauce over the top and sprinkle the cheese mixture on top.
Fresh Herb Pasta with Morels and Rocolla
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Fresh Herb Pasta Recipe Above (follow pasta maker instructions for linguini)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
9-12 morel mushrooms
1 cup fresh peas, shelled
Juice and zest of one lemon
¼ cup dry white wine
Salt/pepper
2 cups baby rocolla
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for approx 10 minutes, or until desired consistency. In a medium sauté pan heat olive oil and butter on medium high heat and sauté garlic for about 1-2 minutes, morel mushrooms and sauté another 2-3 minutes,
Fava Bean and Fennel Orzo with Lemon Dill Pesto & Feta
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped fine
1 cup fava beans, shelled, and skins removed
1 cup fennel, sliced paper-thin
Salt/pepper
1 cup orzo pasta cooked
¼ cup fresh goat feta, crumbled
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together zest and juice of lemons, olive oil and fresh dill, add fennel and fava beans. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in cooked orzo pasta and then mix in crumbled feta cheese. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before eating.
Spinach Herb Ricotta Cannelloni with Fresh Tomatoes and Lemon
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach, steamed and drained
¼ cup fresh basil chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoons marjoram chopped
2 tablespoons oregano chopped
½ cup red bell peppers chopped fine
½ cup red spring onions chopped
½ cup carrots chopped fine
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
Salt/pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Fresh Herb Pasta Recipe (follow directions for the pasta maker and make 8 4X5 sheets of pasta
Olive oil for greasing the pan
5 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 Degrees for 15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine, spinach, herbs, bell peppers, onions, carrots garlic and ricotta, mix well with a fork until all ingredients are blended. Season with chili flakes, salt and pepper. Place a few spoon full’s of the cheese herb mixture in a sheet of pasta and roll up and place in a greased glass baking dish. Do this 7 more times and place in the glass dish. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is golden brown. Mix the tomatoes and lemon zest and juice together and pour over cannelloni and bake for approx 3-5 more minutes.
Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Fresh Spring Market Vegetables in a Lemony Herb Broth
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 package fresh wild mushroom ravioli, about 15-20 small-medium raviolis
Olive oil
2 sprigs fresh spring garlic, chopped fine
2 ramps, chopped ¼ cup spring red onions sliced round
Zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup parsley, chopped
¼ cup tarragon, chopped
¼ cup chives, chopped
Salt/pepper
¼ cup carrots, chopped fine
½ cup asparagus tips
½ cup fresh peas, shelled
Juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups mushroom broth
½ cup asiago cheese shaved (for garnish)
Directions:
Before you start the vegetables, make sure you have a large pan of salted water boiling for the ravioli that will only take a few minutes. In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and add, garlic, red onions and ramps, sauté for a few minutes until onions are almost translucent but not quite. (The dish is better if the items are a bit fresher or less cooked through) Add lemon zest and fresh herbs and salt and pepper, sauté for not longer than a minute or two. Next add asparagus, carrots and peas and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the juice and the white wine and stir well, loosening any flavors sticking to the pan. Add the mushroom broth and bring to a boil then turn on low covered for 5 minutes and then turn off. In the meantime drop your raviolis in the boiling water in the other large pot and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until raviolis float to the top of the water, take out. Place a few raviolis in each bowl, pour equal amounts of vegetables and juice over them and garnish with the shaved asiago. A few sprinkled chopped chives on top are nice as well.
Spring Cilantro Carrot Sesame Noodles
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Dressing
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Juice and zest of 3 tangerines or 2 oranges
½ cup cilantro leaves, plus an additional 2 tablespoons for the salad
¼ cup mint leaves
1 pinch red chili flakes
1 small Thai chili deseeded
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup tamari sauce
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup sesame oil
Salad
½ pound ( 8 ounces soba noodles) cooked as per instructions on package
½ cup snap peas
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped fine
½ cup shitake mushrooms, cut in half
¾ cup carrots, diced finely
½ cup green onions sliced thin
1 cup baby bok choy sliced length wise into long strips
Cilantro leaves (reserved from above)
Directions:
Dressing:
In a blender, place all dressing ingredients and blend well until smooth but still some texture, your preference.
Salad:
In a large bowl mix all vegetables and cilantro together well, add the soba noodles and toss until well mixed. Then slowly pour dressing over the noodles and vegetables, a little at a time, tossing gently in between until all dressing is poured and the noodles are well dressed.
