Wolfgang Puck's Spring Pasta Primavera
Course:
Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine:
Italian
Seasonal Event:
Spring
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup blistered cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup shredded basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon of roasted garlic
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 12 spears of thinly cut asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup of broccolini
- 1 cup of fresh peas
- 12 ounces of torchio pasta
- ¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan
- Black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
- Chili flake to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Bring a large pot of water and a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil.
- In a blender, combine 1 cup of the vegetable stock with the blistered cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of basil, the roasted garlic and the parsley. Blend until pureed. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan with the remaining 1 cup of vegetable stock, chili flake, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the liquid reduces and thicken slightly.
- While the sauce reduces, in separate batches, boil each of the vegetables for 1 minute in the saucepan of salted water. As each vegetable is done, remove it with a wire skimmer, rinse under cold running water until cool, drain well, and transfer to a bowl.
- Add all the vegetables to the sauce and stir well to heat them through. Keep warm.
- As soon as the large pot of water comes to a boil, salt the water. Add the pasta and cook until al dente – tender but still slightly chewy – following the manufacturer’s suggested cooking time.
- Drain the pasta and stir it, still slightly dripping, into the sauce until well coated. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan, if using.
- To serve, divide the pasta and vegetables among four large warmed plates or pasta bowls. Sprinkle each plate with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil. Serve immediately.