Fresh green peas scream spring to me. Also known as English or garden peas, these emerald legumes require nothing more than just a little butter and salt to make a delightful side dish. They need very little cooking to bring out their sweet and subtle flavor.
Of course you can get frozen peas throughout the year, and they serve many recipes well, but there’s nothing like the fresh version right off the vine. They enjoy a fairly short growing season during the spring and early summer, so grab some soon if you can.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better use of green peas than in a simple pasta dish. As I was thinking about this post, I was looking at a bright, sunny spring day through my kitchen window, and I knew I needed to make this pasta dish an ultimate spring meal. To round out the trio of vegetables in this dish, I made good use of asparagus and the green peas’ cousin, sugar snaps.
The only other decision I had to make for this dish was the pasta. I’ve always found farfalle or bow-tie pasta to be festive, and it seemed like the perfect choice for this dish. Garlic, olive oil, a little butter, and Parmesan cheese were all that was required to finish this ultimate spring meal.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen green peas
1 1/2 cup sliced asparagus (about 1 inch pieces)
1 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
1 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Prepare a ice bath with water and ice cubes in a large bowl.
2. Bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil. Transfer peas, asparagus, and sugar snaps to the pan. Blanch vegetables for 1 minutes. Remove from water and transfer to ice bath to stop cooking. When vegetables are cooled, remove from ice bath. If using frozen peas, thaw them and omit the blanching step.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to packaging.
4. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and continue heating. Transfer garlic to the skillet and saute for 30 seconds. Add peas, asparagus, and sugar snaps. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Drain pasta, reserving one or two ladles of pasta water. Transfer pasta to skillet and, stirring to combine with vegetables. Add one half of Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and one ladle of pasta water. Stir to combine. Transfer pasta to serving dishes and garnish with remaining cheese. Serve immediately.
https://southernboydishes.com/2015/04/15/spring-pasta-with-peas-asparagus-and-sugar-snaps/You may also like:
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Now that the ice has finally broken on the pond, I officially am starting to think about my vegetable garden. This is such an inspiration, it makes me want to dig in the soil!
Sounds like a great combination!
Wow you really hit the spot with this amazing spring recipe! Will have this in my household this week!! Simple and utterly delicious!
What a nice spring dish! I agree farfalle has such an attractive shape — one of my favorites. Works perfectly in this dish — helps showcase the peas and asparagus. Good stuff — thanks.