Think Spring (And The Return Of Your Local Farmers' Market): Pasta Primavera

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I swear I thought my mother had just made it up – a lighter pasta dish, filled with the most colorful, tender, early spring vegetables mixed with sweet-and-salty Italian prosciutto – to enjoy this time of year until summer’s menu debuted.

Childhood memories do that sometimes. Your brain fills in the blanks and it’s your truth for decades until you learn the real story. And for Pasta Primavera, I learned some new details about this delicious dish just today.

Forgive me for not knowing about its origin story, or, more accurately, the controversy surrounding it: The debate of which chef invented it in the 1970s and the famous New York City restaurants that served it. A question about its authenticity in the Italian cooking world and the fact that nobody seems to have a definitive recipe so there’s no agreed-upon ‘correct way’ to make it.

Glad I did my research before writing this. I appreciate my mother’s simple take on it even more.

Recipe: Pasta Primavera

The Italian word ‘primavera’ translates to ‘spring’ in English and we know that this season of renewal brings about fresh starts and new growth. So, when your local farmers’ market sets up shop with the first of its offerings, be sure to grab some of the earliest spring vegetables of the year for this dish.

Asparagus, scallions, green garlic, and peas are perfect companions for penne, farfalle or the classic angel hair pasta and spaghetti from the original recipes.

The version I know did not include cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers or green beans; However, that’s the beauty of this type of cooking.

Add any veggies you like, just be sure to cook them until they are tender-crisp. Don’t turn them into mush. You want the vegetables to retain their structure and offer a slight crunch.

With cooking, you can always make it your own… just like my mother did.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ stick butter
• ½ onion, thinly sliced (scallions in season)
• 2-3 slices prosciutto di Parma, chopped
• ½ pound asparagus, cut into slivers
• ½ cup peas
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ pound angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
• ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• Splash of heavy cream (optional)
• Salt, ground black pepper, basil to taste

Instructions:

Step 1:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in extra virgin olive oil and one pat of butter until translucent.

Add prosciutto di Parma and sauté briefly.

Step 3:

Add asparagus, peas and chicken broth. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp and the broth has slightly reduced.

Step 4:

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

Step 5:

In a second saucepan, melt the rest of the butter on low heat. You can add a splash of heavy cream here if you'd like. Add drained pasta and toss.

Step 6:

Finally, add all contents from the first saucepan and sprinkle grated cheese on top of everything, lightly tossing it all together to make a creamy sauce.

Step 7:

Serve immediately, topping each dish with torn basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste and more grated cheese.