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Classics: Pasta Primavera (Review)

This past week I needed to make Pasta Primavera for the women's shelter. According to Wikipedia, this dish has its roots in Manhattan in the 1970s--something that surprises me. Certainly it was not part of the culinary legacy my grandmother passed down to me, but I had always assumed it was a traditional Italian dish. Had I the time to dig more deeply beyond Wikipedia, I might be able to unearth different origins.

At any rate, my mother-in-law gaveme an old British cookbook from the 90s called Classic Pasta Cuisine, edited by Rosemary Moon, complete with illustrations more reminiscent of a cookbook from the 1970s. I decided that this was probably the best opportunity to use it, so I cracked it open and found a Primavera recipe that looked legit inasmuch it had pasta, spring veggies, and herbs.

Per usual, so there is no copyright infringement, I will list the ingredients, but not the amounts: 

  • pasta (I used De Cecco penne rigate no. 41)
  • salt
  • asparagus
  • green beens
  • carrots
  • butter
  • mushrooms
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • tomatoes
  • spring onions (see substitutions below)
  • double cream (see substitutions below)
  • fresh parsley
  • fresh tarragon.


The recipe serves 4 but it wasn't clear as if that was a main, or a side. I needed a side dish for 20 people, so I roughly doubled the recipe with an undetermined fraction beyond.

Quick n' Dirty directions


  • cook pasta in salted water 
  • cut and trim vegetables (you may want to do this ahead of time) 
  • blanch veggies (asparagus, green beans, carrots)
  • melt butter in pan, add blanched veggies and mushrooms and sauté (season with salt and pepper as you go)
  • stir in tomatoes and onions (see note below--I will revise this order next time)
  • add cream, herbs, and more salt and pepper
  • allow cream to thicken (via a quick boil)
  • combine with pasta

Substitutions


  • heavy cream for double cream
  • I could not find spring onions, so I substituted leeks and green onions--this worked very well.


Prep

I chopped up all the vegetables (including the leeks/green onions) the night before, so that I could quickly blanch them first thing the next morning.

I used rainbow carrots to add more color and blanching is an important step in this regard. It is a very bright and happy looking pasta. I ignored the direction to peel and seed the tomatoes because I see no need for this. The seeds have lots of flavor and unless you find the look of peeling tomato skin offensive, I don't think there is much benefit in going through the trouble of peeling them.


After you have blanched the vegetables (be sure to stop the cooking in an ice bath to retain color), melt the butter in a large pan. If you are making for a large group, you may have to do this in batches. Add the blanched veggies and mushrooms and sauté. Stir in tomatoes and onions. If I do this again, I'll do the onions first.

Then add the cream and your herbs.  If you like tarragon, I suggest chopping up quite a bit. It is a delicate flavor, but it comes through nicely here because it doesn't have to compete with garlic. Let the cream boil rapidly for a bit so it thickens. Add pasta to the pan, OR toss the pasta in a large bowl, add the sauce, and toss. 

This was a lot more flavorful than I expected and the vegetables provide a great variety of texture and flavor! 


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