Rush-Hour Gourmet
You might say this is green cooking, as opposed to cooking green. Young peas, a little shallot, onion, butter, and vegetable broth make a sweet sauce for farfalle.
You might say this is green cooking, as opposed to cooking green. Young peas, a little shallot, onion, butter, and vegetable broth make a sweet sauce for farfalle.
Butterfly Pasta With Baby Peas
4 servings
10 ounces dried farfalle pasta
4 medium shallots
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons sweet (salted) butter
2 cups vegetable broth
20 ounces fresh or frozen baby or petite peas
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
2 stems basil
6 ounces sugar snap peas
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta; cook according to the package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, mince the shallots; dice the the onion.
3. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and onion; cook for 6 minutes, until just soft. Add a little of the broth to keep them from browning; they should stay creamy.
4. Prepare a bowl of ice water for the peas.
5. Add the broth to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then add about 3 cups of the frozen peas and boil for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peas to the ice-water bath to stop their cooking (and any shallot or onion you may catch). Pour the broth into a blender and let it cool for 10 minutes.
6. While the broth is cooling, chop the parsley and basil leaves. Trim the snap peas.
7. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the remaining cup of peas and cook for 5 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl. When the water returns to a boil, add the sugar snaps to the water and cook for 3 minutes, then transfer to the bowl with the 5 ounces of just-blanched peas. As the sugar snaps cool, cut them in half on the diagonal.
8. Add the cooled 3 cups of peas to the broth in the blender, along with half the parsley and basil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt, pepper. Add the remaining parsley and basil, and puree until smooth.
9. Pour the puree into the same saute pan used to cook the shallots and onion, then add the cooked pasta and the remaining peas and sugar snaps. Heat for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, tossing to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Divide among individual shallow bowls; serve hot.
Per serving:
480 calories, 20 grams protein, 87 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 8 grams fat, no cholesterol, 442 milligrams sodium, 9 grams dietary fiber