Springtime is officially here in California. Yay!!! Some of my favorite veggies are now available especially asparagus. I wait all year for it to arrive. It seems like it is here for just a short time and then gone. Or you find it in the supermarket, out of season, tasting bland and $5 a pound. Not for me.
Yesterday was Monday and Scott was home so I thought I would try a meatless Monday night again. That’s always a challenge. So I was thinking about what I could make that would fill him up and he wouldn’t miss the meat. I thought about the first meatless meal I made and it had noodles. Viola, I’ll make a springtime pasta.
I took a trip to my fridge to see what I had…asparagus, leeks, peas all spring veggies. That sounded like a good match for pasta. I added some garlic, of course, wine and I had some leftover creme fraiche for creaminess. It came out great. Scott even said he was stuffed and didn’t have to have meat. Yay for me. Here’s how I made it….
Ingredients
1 lb bowtie (Farfalle) pasta
2T xv olive oil
2 leeks cleaned and sliced white only
3 cloves garlic minced
1t red pepper flakes
1/2c dry white wine
1 lb asparagus trimmed and cut on the bias
1c veggie broth
Zest and juice from a lemon
3T fresh mint minced
2T fresh chives minced
3T fresh parsley minced
1c defrosted peas
1/2c creme fraiche
1/2c parm
Salt and pepper
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Season with salt. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. When hot add the leeks, salt and pepper and cook until soft and just browning, 4 – 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine and cook until almost evaporated. Add the pasta to the pot and cook one minute shy of package directions. Add the asparagus and stock to the skillet and cook until the asparagus is tender crisp, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the zest and juice and stir. Then add the herbs, peas and creme fraiche. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Add the pasta and parm and toss to combine. Add more parm if needed.
Serve it with a little salad and crusty bread and enjoy!!!
Everyday Sunday Suppers 