Homemade Pasta Primavera, Sorrento Style

It’s so inspiring for me to experience the simple pleasures of daily life and local food during the springtime in the Campania countryside – with all of the wildflowers springing up everywhere, the green grass, fresh, fragrant air, sunshine, and flourishing gardens that brim with all sorts of delicious fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs.

Because nature gives to each season beautiful gifts of its own, I simply adore planning our meals and bringing our table to life with the vibrant flavors, colors, and traditions of the local lands at the given moment.

So when I recently had the honor of spending the day in the kitchen at Ristorante L’Antica Trattoria with Antonio Spasiano, one of the most talented chefs in Sorrento, I was beyond thrilled. Born and raised in Sorrento, Antonio in known for taking pride in the scrumptious dishes he crafts, which are skillfully and meticulously put together utilizing the celebrated peak season ingredients and local specialty products of his native land.

This delightful recipe for Pasta Primavera, which means “Springtime Pasta” in Italian, was one of the myriad of scrumptious dishes that he put together to celebrate beautiful spring that day – a beloved classic first-course dish that marries fresh egg pasta with just-picked broad beans, asparagus, sweet peas, and onions.

To make the sauce, Antonio first combines a small portion of the sweet peas, onions, and olive oil in a small pan and gently sautés until the vegetables have softened. Then he purées the mixture with a hand blender until smooth and creamy and sets it aside. Afterwards, he combines the broad beans, asparagus, remaining sweet peas, onions, and olive oil in a large pan (and a ladle or so of the pasta cooking water) and gently sautés until the vegetables have softened, but still have a bite, and the broth like sauce has reduced. Towards the end of the cooking, Antonio then stirs the purée into the sauce, giving it an elegant, creamy texture that intermingles so complimentarily with the fresh egg pasta – making each forkful so fresh-tasting and mouthwateringly good.

And so, with all of the wildflowers springing up everywhere, the green grass, fresh fragrant air, sunshine, and flourishing gardens that brim with all sorts of delicious fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs – it’s no wonder the simple pleasures of daily life and local food once again inspired me that day.

Yet, thanks to thoughtful chef Antonio Spasiano, I also had the pleasure of savoring the vibrant flavors, colors, and traditions of the local lands that I hold so dear in one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants in Sorrento – when he brought our table to life with a celebration of spring’s abundance scrumptiously crafted on a plate.

Behind-the-scenes on that special spring day!

Visiting Sorrento? Don’t miss a fabulous meal! Here’s the link – Ristorante L’Antica Trattoria

Buon Appetito (Enjoy your meal) !!

Homemade Pasta Primavera - Sorrento Style

For this recipe, I include the instructions on how to make the fresh, homemade tagliolini. But you can also use store-bought fresh egg pasta sheets, then roll them through the spaghetti attachment on your pasta machine for convenience sake. Or, you can even use store-bought fresh tagliatelle, if you'd like

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Course: Pasta & Risottos

Servings: 5 people

Ingredients

For the Fresh Egg Pasta (Tagliolini):

• 3 cups all-purpose flour or type "00" flour
• pinch of salt
• 5 large eggs (3 whole, plus 2 yolks)
• coarse salt or kosher salt for the pasta cooking water

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 pound broad beans freshly podded
• 1/3 pound (about 5 1/2 ounces) baby asparagus
• 2 pounds sweet peas freshly podded
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• handful of fresh basil leaves or, freshly slivered mint leaves

Instructions

For the Fresh Egg Pasta:

• Put the flour on a clean work surface and form a mound with a well in the center. Sprinkle in the salt, eggs, and yolks. Using a fork, whisk the ingredients together, gradually incorporating the liquids into the inner walls of the well. When the ingredients form a thick paste, gradually incorporate the rest of the flour with your hands until the ingredients come together to form a solid mass. Knead the dough until soft, smooth, and resilient, yet still slightly moist, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Roll the dough through the second to last setting on your pasta machine into smooth, thin strips. Afterwards, roll the strips through the pasta machine into small tubular noodles through the spaghetti attachment. Set the spaghetti aside formed into small nests on a tray covered in kitchen towel.
• Slowly bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt the water. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

For the Sauce:

• Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Drop in the broad beans and blanch for a couple of minutes to soften their skins. Drain and refresh the beans in a bowl of iced water. Once the beans are cool enough to handle, make a nick in the side of each bean and pop out the brighter green bean inside. Set them aside in a small bowl.
• Trim off the bottom white end of the asparagus spears. Then line up the asparagus and cut off their tips into about 2-inch lengths. Chop the remaining portion of the spears into small 1/4-inch rounds. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Drop in the asparagus tips and blanch for a couple of minutes or until they have softened but still have a bite. Drain and refresh the tips in a bowl of iced water.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine one-quarter of the onion and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and briefly sauté for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add half of the peas and a pinch of salt and toss to combine. Pour in just enough water to cover the peas and bring the liquids to a gentle simmer over moderate heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the peas have softened but still have a bite, adding a little pasta cooking water from time to time as needed to finish up the cooking. Transfer the vegetable mixture and any remaining liquids in the pan to a medium size bowl. Using a hand blender, purée the mixture until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the remaining onions and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the broad beans, asparagus, remaining peas and a pinch of salt and toss to combine. Pour in just enough water to cover the vegetables and bring the liquids to a gentle simmer over moderate heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened but still have a bite, adding a little pasta cooking water from time to time as needed to finish up the cooking. Towards the end of the cooking time, stir the vegetable purée into the sauce and stir well to combine.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until it's just under done, tender but still has a bite. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well to combine. Add the parmigiano, butter, and half of the reserved pasta cooking water. Continue to toss until the pasta is well coated with the creamy sauce, adding more pasta cooking water, if more liquid is needed.
• Divide the pasta among the plates and serve immediately garnished with the reserved asparagus tips and fresh basil leaves.