Fresh pasta, vegetables make for lively seasonal dish
Preparing a pasta dish that makes use of seasonal produce sounds like a great way to enjoy the last days of spring. If you're cooking for guests, why not impress them by also making your pasta from scratch?
There's no need to be intimidated when making your own pasta with a helpful guide like America's Test Kitchen's "Fresh Pasta at Home." The cookbook features recipes for more than 100 dishes, 20 pasta shapes and 10 fresh doughs, which can be prepared with or without a machine.
For its take on a "pasta primavera" — a dish made famous when it landed on chef Sirio Maccioni's menu for the high-end New York restaurant Le Cirque in 1975 — the test kitchen freshens up the recipe with versatile zucchini. When cooked for a long time over gentle heat, zucchini slices break down into a creamy, silky paste, eliminating the need for cream to make a sauce.
Adding garlic and a heavy dose of olive oil create a flavorful sauce that's full of body. This recipe also adds fresh peas and asparagus, which cook directly in the sauce that is then tossed with fresh pasta.
Fresh chives, lemon juice and grated pecorino Romano are mixed in right before serving. Spoon halved cherry tomatoes in a little olive oil — an homage to Maccioni's original dish — over the top along with a shower of fresh mint.
For more pasta recipes, pick up the cookbook, which is available at americastestkitchen.com.
Busiate with spring vegetables
Serves 4
* 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
* 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
* 5 garlic cloves, divided (1 small, minced; 4 sliced thin)
* 3/4 teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced quarter-inch thick
* 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 1-inch lengths
* 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 pound fresh busiate (see recipe below)
* 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 ounce pecorino Romano cheese, grated (quarter-cup), plus extra for serving
* 2 tablespoons torn fresh mint leaves
Toss tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper together in a bowl; set aside.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the zucchini, pepper flakes, sliced garlic and remaining half-teaspoon of salt and cook, covered, until the zucchini softens and breaks down, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the asparagus, peas and water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to the pot.
Add the vegetable mixture, chives, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with pecorino, and drizzle with extra oil. Spoon tomatoes and their juices over top and sprinkle with mint. Serve, passing extra pecorino separately.
Semolina pasta dough
* 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) fine semolina flour, plus extra as needed (be sure to use fine semolina, often labeled as rimacinata, extra-fancy or #1; conventional semolina is too coarse)
* 2/3 cup (5 1/3 ounces) warm water, plus extra as needed
Using a mixer
Note: This recipe was developed using a 4.5-quart stand mixer. If using a 7-quart stand mixer, you will need to regularly push the dough into the center of the bowl so that the dough is properly kneaded.
Add the flour to the bowl of a stand mixer, then stir in the warm water. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until a shaggy ball forms and no dry flour remains, about 3 minutes. Using the dough hook, knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead by hand to form a uniform ball, 1 to 2 minutes.
Working by hand
Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until a shaggy ball forms and no dry flour remains, about 3 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface and continue to knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. Form the dough into a uniform ball.
How to make busiate
Divide the dough into 16 pieces and cover with plastic wrap. Stretch and roll one piece of dough into a quarter-inch-thick rope, then cut the rope into 3-inch lengths.
Working with one dough length at a time, position it at a 45-degree angle to the counter edge. Place a thin wooden skewer at the top edge of the dough, parallel to the counter edge. Arrange the palms of your hands at the ends of the skewer, apply even pressure against the dough, and roll the skewer toward you in a fluid motion to create a tightly coiled rope. (Anchor one end of the rope with your palm to help the dough coil around the skewer.)
Slide the busiate off the skewer onto a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Dust the skewer with flour as needed if the dough begins to stick. Repeat rolling, cutting, and shaping with the remaining dough pieces.
