In the vein of remaining positive about being mostly stuck at home the past four months, I’ve found myself doing a lot more cooking than before. Normally the chief benefactor is me and my stomach (and secondarily the dog and his stomach), but since I’ve got this long-neglected blog here and have been in the mood to write more lately, I figure I’d share.
Today’s adventure: Pasta Primavera (Recipe courtesy Maria Lichty at Two Peas and their Pod)
Pasta Primavera, while sounding incredibly Italian, is a relatively new dish with conflicting origins, invented in the 1970s in America, making it similar to spaghetti and meatballs in that, ordering it in Italy would get you looked at like, well, an American. Not that anyone’s taking an Italian vacation anytime soon.
This version of primavera is a selection of Summer vegetables in a lemon cream sauce over penne, making for a mighty medley of ingredients, textures, and flavors. It’s a solid recipe that takes well to adding some protein. In my case, I cooked up a pound of cut-up chicken beforehand in the same pan the vegetables and cream sauce are made in.
The main issue with making this recipe is that it’s a process for either most of an afternoon or prepping beforehand and making later. You’re going to be cutting up zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, shallot, garlic, lemon (juicing and zesting), tomato, basil, plus anything else you feel like adding. Get your knife sharp and your arm ready. Get yo mise en place.
Overall, it’s a fantastic meal, which makes at least 6 actual person-sized servings. Flavors of lemon, cream, tang from the tomatoes, a little kick from the crushed red pepper, plus a solid body of penne and a varied crunch from the veggies. I’ve made it twice now and, though it takes an effort, it’s well worth it. Great for a weekend dinner and then a few weekday lunches to follow.