Pasta Primavera
March 3, 2008
I’m never quite sure what to do with all the recipe ideas I accumulate from cooking magazines, newspapers and other sources of recipe scraps that float around my house. There was a time when I would print out recipes from the internet and run them through the 3-hole punch and keep them in a binder, but I didn’t really keep that binder organized very well either.
I’m sure you could purchase some sort of handy recipe organizer that sells for $49.99 but I’m guessing I wouldn’t keep that very organized either. I just have to accept the fact that I’m going have a stack of old Cooking Light magazines in a basket in the porch, and a Rubbermaid container of print-outs and clippings along with recipe books I don’t use very much in the utility room storage area, and then I have Real Simple and Better Homes and Gardens actually placed in cute magazine holders on the shelves in my TV closet, and Cooks Illustrated copies piled up next to the couch.
Maybe the fun in all this recipe chaos is to happen upon a recipe while randomly flipping through old magazines or files. Last week, as I debated whether to throw my Cooking Light magazines from 2004 I saw a great looking photo for pasta primavera on the last page. And the lightbulb came on as I realized I had really wonderful asparagus in my fridge. And tomatoes. And really, the only thing I was missing was fresh basil.
Spring cleaning? No thanks. I'll hoard my old magazines for the time being.
I used bowtie pasta, frozen peas instead of fresh, and half & half instead of whipping cream. It was delicious. Give it a try.
Pasta Primavera
1/2 pound uncooked fusilli (short twisted spaghetti)
2 cups (1-inch) diagonally cut thin asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup shelled green peas (about 3/4 pound unshelled green peas)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add asparagus and peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain; place in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth, whipping cream, salt, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add tomato mixture to pasta mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Serve immediately.
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