During spring in Rome, we have vegetables that are of a disarming goodness and are therefore used in many different recipes.
One of the typical spring vegetables is the Roman green zucchini: they are of a delicate green with a slightly rough skin. Another absolutely delicious vegetable, one of my favorites, is asparagus. Last but not least the peas: lathes, very sweet greens.
The recipe is an invention of my mother and uses all three of these fantastic vegetables.
Mum's Spring Pasta
- Preparation time: 40 minutes
- Ingredients for 4 servings
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- Ingredients for 4 servings
- 350 gr or 12 oz of short pasta (e.g., giant fusilli)
- 3 fresh spring onions
- 150 gr or 5 oz of fresh shelled peas
- 3 Romanesque zucchini
- 8 asparagus
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Vegetable broth to taste (about 1 cup and a half)
- Fresh Herbs (thyme, marjoram, and basil)
- Grated pecorino cheese to taste
- Salt to taste.
- Instructions
- Wash the vegetables well. Cut the zucchini and asparagus into slices. Cut the onions thinly.
- Boil the pasta water in a saucepan.
- Finely chop the fresh herbs with a knife.
- In a pan with a little oil stew the onions. When they are shiny and transparent, add the asparagus in slices, except the tops. After ten minutes of cooking add the zucchini and peas. Cook for twenty minutes adding some vegetable broth.
- In the pasta water, salt the boiling water with the coarse salt and toss in the pasta.
- Drain the pasta al dente. Stir it into the sauce by combining the asparagus tops, a little cooking water, the pecorino cheese, and the chopped herbs. Salt if necessary.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- Never cover the pan in which the vegetables are being cooked as otherwise they will become yellowish.
- Once the herbs have been chopped, sprinkle with a little oil to prevent the oxidation of the basil.
- To best cook pasta, 1 US quart of water must be considered for every serving.
Mum, right, with her younger siblings
