Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera

Amazingly enough, the origin of pasta primavera was quite a surprise to me. It was actually created in the United States in 1970 at Le Cirque in New York City. There are so many variations on this dish from a simple olive oil and garlic sauce, cream sauce, and even pesto. Wherever it truly began, it's a great, healthy dish that you can vary depending on whatever vegetable are available. Approach this dish not with a 'I must follow the recipe exactly' attitude, but more of a 'wow, these zucchini's look amazing and the vidalia onions are in season' approach. Or heck, whatever you happen to have on hand at the time! I prefer a light, but slightly creamy sauce (not made with whole cream or anything....) topped with freshly grated parmesean cheese and toasted pine nuts. I think the fresh basil is a must, but you really can make it without if necessary. I never make it the same and everytime it gets a little bit better. Use any pasta you like, I prefer fresh fettucine or angel hair, but spaghetti works great too. Get creative! You could even add chicken if you need a bit more protein. Take the recipe in three parts - the pasta, the vegetables and the sauce and then combine them all at the end.

origin - lisa lou
difficulty - easy
health meter - medium due to lots of healthy veggies, but pasta is high in calories.

veggies:
1 bunch broccoli cut into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal and then in half
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 medium vidalia onion sliced
1 shallot sliced or chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes quartered
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
optional - sliced carrots, sliced mushrooms, sliced green/red/yellow peppers etc.

sauce:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 cup strong chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
splash of light cream
1/4 cup marscapone cheese (or ricotta)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
2 tsp italian seasoning blend
2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
grated nutmeg to taste (approximately 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp onion powder
salt/peper to taste
2 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1/2 cup cold water *if needed to thicken sauce at the end

pasta of choice - fresh fettucine, angel hair, spaghetti etc. Cook according to package directions OR check out the fresh pasta entry under Ravioli's and make your own!

Begin by cooking all of your vegetables except the onions, shallots, and grape tomatoes (and mushroooms if you are using them) in a large pot of boiling, well salted water. Cook only until tender crisp - I like to cook the zucchini together with the snap peas because their cooking time is the same. I cook the broccoli separately. Don't overcook - place the vegetables in an ice water bath for a few minutes to stop the cooking and maintain the bright color. Drain well. In a separate, large saute pan begin cooking the onions and shallots (and mushrooms) in the olive oil and butter until softened - approximately 4 minutes. Pour on the white wine and cook on medium heat until the alcohol smell has evaporated - about 3 minutes. Add the italian seasoning, onion powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken stock. Reduce the mixture by half. Add the cream and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the marscapone and parmesean cheese and check the consistancy of your sauce. If you want it a bit thicker, add the cornstarch mixture a little bit at a time until your desired consistancy. Remember that once you add the vegetables, the sauce with thin slightly due to the water in them. Add your vegetables and cook just until warmed through. Add the fresh basil and grape tomatoes, spoon over pasta. Finally, top with toasted pine nuts and a bit of freshly grated parmesean cheese and serve.