Pasta Primavera was another dish from the Signs of Spring cooking class (dessert posted @ 24259)

wigs

Well-known member
PASTA PRIMAVERA--(This was fantastic! Wigs)

1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and broken into bite-size

flowerets, blanched about 3-5 minutes, set aside

2 small zucchini, trimmed, cut into bite-size lengths. There should be about 1 1/2 c. Blanch about 3-5 minutes, set aside. (Note: These were julienned in a mandolin in class.)

4 asparagus spears, each about 5" long, blanched and set aside.

1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths, blanched about 5 minutes, set aside

salt

1/2 c fresh or frozen green peas, defrosted if frozen, blanched 1 minute if fresh

3/4 c fresh pea pods, trimmed and blanched 1 minute

1 Tb vegetable oil

2 c thinly sliced mushrooms

freshly ground pepper

1 tsp chopped hot, fresh chile or 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/4 c finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

6 Tb olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

3 c red, ripe tomatoes, peeled and squeezed, reserving the liquid, and then cut into 1" cubes

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped, about 1/4 c or 1 tsp dried basil or in class Marie used 1 heaping teaspoon basil pesto.

1 lb spaghetti

4 Tb butter

2 Tb chicken stock

1/2 c heavy cream, approximately

2/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 c pine nuts, toasted

Note: In class the instructor added some sauteed yellow & red bell peppers that had first been julienned.

Combine all the vegetables in a mixing bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste, shaking the skillet and stirring. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the vegetable mixture. Add the chopped chile and parsley.

Heat 3 Tb olive oil in a saucepan and add half the garlic, the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring gently so as not to break up the tomatoes more than is essential. Add the basil, stir and set aside.

Heat the remaining 3 Tb olive oil in a large skillet and add the remaining garlic and the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring gently, just to heat through.

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well.

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the chicken stock, 1/2 c cream and cheese, stirring constantly. Cook gently until smooth. Add the pasta and toss quickly to blend. Add half the vegetables and pour in the liquid from the tomatoes, tossing and stirring over very low heat. Add the remaining vegetables and, if the sauce seems too dry, add about 1/4 c more cream. The sauce should not be soupy. Add the pine nuts and give the mixture one final tossing. Serve in hot bowls, spooning equal amounts of the tomatoes over each serving. Makes 4 to 8 servings.

Note: Good served with a Sauvignon Blanc wine.

 
Oddly, the BEST pasta primavera I ever had was not in Italy, but on St John's Island.

...in the US Virgin Islands. It was the wonderful dish...bright vegetables blanched to perfection, pasta prepared correctly and napped with a delicate cream sauce. Then they added a large fresh flower to compliment the design.

If the mosquitoes hadn't eaten me alive, it would have been a perfect night.

thank you, wigs, for the lovely memory.

 
I'm cracking up @ yr fond memory, marred by mosquitoes. I have 1 more REC 2 post frm that class so

we'll see what a nice Mushroom Risotto will trigger. I'm going back up the post chain now to check whether any of your neurons fired off as a result of the Strawberry Shortcake recipe w/ Chantilly Cream and homemade Strawberry ice cream. Smile.

 
REC: Risotto of Shrimp with Asparagus and Mushrooms from Signs of Spring cooking class

Risotto of Shrimp with Asparagus and Mushrooms

1/4 c olive oil
7 Tb butter
1/4 c finely chopped onions .
20 baby carrots (8 for the rice and 12 for presentation)--either use really tiny carrots or else julienne regular carrots
12 asparagus spears, stalks sliced in rounds and tips reserved
6 oz Arborio rice - do NOT wash before cooking
1/2 c dry white wine
4 c chicken stock - heated
1 lb mushrooms - wild if possible - in class crimini, shiitake & white button were used--discard tough shiitake stems
2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 bunch chives, reserving tips and chopping the remainder.
2 sprigs chervil
salt and freshly ground pepper
20 giant shrimp, shells removed and reserved
1/4 c olive oil
20 shrimp shells and 2 extra shrimp, chopped
3 finely chopped shallots -.
1/2 c dry white wine
3 Tb Cognac
1 tomato, quartered (Instructor briefly blanched, peeled & diced)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay leaf)
1-1/3 c heavy cream

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan with half the butter. Add the onions, 8 carrots and the asparagus stalks and saute until transparent. Add the rice and mix. When the rice becomes transparent, add the wine. Cook for 2 minutes and then add chicken stock a little at a time (about 1/4 cup), stirring until the end of the cooking time, 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring and adding hot stock gradually, 1/4 cup at a time. Three-quarters of the way through the cooking time, add half the mushrooms. At the end of the cooking, add the remaining butter & mushrooms and the Parmesan to obtain a creamy risotto. When rice is done, the inner core of a kernel of rice will not be white.

(For do-ahead preparation, stop cooking the rice at 12 minutes; spread rice in a thin layer on a baking sheet to cool down rapidly. After cool, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. At serving time, reheat remaining chicken stock, place rice in a saucepan and restart the cooking process, adding hot chicken stock a ladle at a time, stirring until cooked.)

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the shrimp shells and the 2 chopped shrimps until the color changes. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the Cognac and white wine. Reduce and add the diced tomato, the garlic, the bouquet garni and the cream. Cook for 30 minutes over a low heat. Strain through a fine strainer. Season to taste.

Cook the asparagus tips and the 12 carrots in boiling, salted water until tender; plunge into cold water. Pat dry. Saute the remaining mushrooms in some butter. Add the chopped chives. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and saute the 20 shrimp (lightly salt & pepper) until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Place a portion of risotto in a heated flat soup bowl. Flatten with the back of a spoon. Arrange the sauteed shrimp, asparagus tips, carrots and mushrooms over the risotto. Spoon the sauce around the risotto and garnish with sprigs of chervil and the tips of the chives. Serves 4.

 
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