peggy loves pappardelle……

I’ve been getting very nostalgic these days. With Al Dente’s 30th anniversary coming up, I can’t help but think of all the people I’ve collaborated with over the years. Peggy Lampman is certainly one of them. Our lives have continuously intersected over the years and almost always around food. I honestly think Peggy loves pasta as much as I do. Here’s the recipe she featured last week on her dinner feed.

Peggy's Spring Pappardelle with Peas and Asparagus

Just like I do,  Peggy often cooks the vegetables like broccoli, asparagus and green beans in the same pot along with the pasta, when you think they will cook in 3 minutes. If the veggies need longer than 3, simply them into the water a couple of minutes before adding pasta.

If using frozen pea, she and I simply drain the pasta over the peas in the colander. If using fresh peas, you will need to cook them separately.

Yield: 6 servings
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup frozen peas
12 ounces Al Dente® Papparadelle pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 bunch (8 cups) chopped chard, stems separated from leaves and washed
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 pound asparagus of similar width, stem ends snapped or cut off
Zest and juice from 1/2-1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, dill, thyme or marjoram
Grated cheese, such as Manchego, Parmesan or Romano

Directions

1. Place peas in a colander in the sink. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and asparagus.  Drain pasta and asparagus over frozen peas in colander; the hot water will cook the peas.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil to medium heat. Cook pine nuts until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove and reserve. Place chard stems in oil with garlic and saute until slightly limp, 2- 3 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook until tender, an additional 2 minutes.
3. Combine pasta, asparagus, peas, pine nuts and remaining olive oil with chard. Stir in zest and juice from half lemon, herbs and season to taste with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and additional lemon zest and juice, if needed.
4. Ladle pasta onto individual plates or dishes and serve with grated Manchego cheese.

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