Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Farm Share Pasta Primavera

Farm Share Pasta Primavera

Fresh spring vegetables, lightly blanched and tossed with pasta in a creamy sauce. A simple, fast vegetarian dish to let the flavors of Spring shine.

 http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/03/farm-share-pasta-primavera.html

Joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share typically means you make the choice to eat more seasonally. Being a seasonal eater means by the end of one season I'm anticipating the next. Being a seasonal eater with a food blog means I'm working 9 months to a year behind as we approach the end of a season. Perhaps I could turn the frown upside down and say I'm working ahead. I mean, yesterday I made 2 desserts that will appear in April and July, respectively.

 http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/03/farm-share-pasta-primavera.html

As my spouse and I resume our evening walks I see signs of Spring all over--except for my garden, which is still looking like a not-quite-ready compost pile. [It makes me realize how impressed I am with the ingenuity of farmers. With hard work, hoop houses and row covers, they manage to get a jump on Mother Nature every year.] It will be a couple of months until the local vegetables are ready for me to share current recipe ideas.  Instead, I rely on notes [notes get misplaced, it's a spiral binder for me now] a notebook and a well-labeled photo library to bring ideas for what to do with your produce.

 http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/03/farm-share-pasta-primavera.html

This recipe has been on the second* page of my current spiral notebook for 10 months. I made it in the early weeks of the farm share, when the fast-growing crops--like peas and radishes--are abundant in the box. This pasta reminded me of the satisfying and quickly assembled meals my vegetarian roommates and I would fix, then enjoy on the porch while the evenings were ever-lighter and the weather still cool enough that a warm bowl of pasta was appreciated. [You could totally eat this cold, I just prefer the flavors warm.]

For other recipes using broccoli, please see my Broccoli Recipes Collection, for other recipes using carrots, please see my Carrot Recipes Collection, for other recipes using peas, please see my Pea Recipes Collection, for other recipes using radishes, please see my Radish Recipes Collection. These are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient--since it's the easiest way to figure out what to fix in my opinion. If you want to pin your ideas, you're welcome to follow me on Pinterest.


 http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/03/farm-share-pasta-primavera.html

Farm Share Pasta Primavera (serves 4 to 6)

4½ to 5 cups carrot slices
3½ to 4 cups broccoli florets
2½ to 3 cups pea pods, ends trimmed
¼ cup sliced radishes
½ pound shaped pasta of your choice
¼ cup diced onion
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Pasta Sprinkle)
½ teaspoon salt (I used kosher)
½ teaspoon--about--freshly ground pepper
to serve--grated parm or cheddar cheese if desired

Get the pasta going--bring salted water to a boil in a large heavy pot. Add carrots and broccoli to the water, let boil for a minute, then scoop out and place them in a colander in the sink. Run cold water over the vegetables to stop the cooking. Place pea pods and radishes on top of the vegetables in the colander. Prepare pasta according to package directions, and drain by pouring over the vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine onion, sour cream, and cream cheese with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in spices.  Dump drained pasta and vegetables into sauce and toss in bowl. Serve with cheese and extra freshly ground pepper.

 http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/03/farm-share-pasta-primavera.html

*Now if I can get the Orange & Beet Muffins recipe posted from the first page of that spiral notebook, I tear that page out with a satisfying riiiiiiip, and toss it into the recycling bag!

14 comments:

  1. This is one of my favorite go-to dinners in the spring for using up fresh produce. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristen,
      My folks are even enjoying this in the dining room of their building. It's a common 'go to' idea.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. Marking this for when I start getting my CSA box!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pam,
      I will have the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient ready to go for CSA season!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. That reminds me that I need to get signed up for a CSA here in TX! This recipe will be a great go-to when I have more produce than I can use at once (not a bad problem in my book!). Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee Dee,
      I found our CSA here in Ohio when we came to look at houses. I knew where we'd get our food before I knew where we'd be eating it! (I have weird priorities.)
      Go to www.localharvest.org and put in your zip code if you're not familiar with your choices.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. This looks wonderful! I can't wait for our CSA to start!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle,
      You and me both! Actually, I have a couple of bags of greens from the freezer I need to get et up before I can be in the happily anticipating stage. Gimme a month then I'm with ya.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I LOVE that you made this a one pot meal with all those veggies! And I especially love that you use sour cream and cream cheese to make the sauce. Those might be 2 of my biggest food weaknesses. And, as always, I bow down to your organization. I cannot remember anything about what I ate last month let alone 10 months ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura,
      Boy I don't feel organized. I like the idea of a day planner to scribble the recipes in--that's going next when I empty the spiral notebook.
      I've always wondered-if I cook it in one pot but also use a bowl to mix it in, is that one or two? I served out of the mixing bowl so that was a dish savings.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. I love all of the veggies in this! I am just now becoming a fan of radishes and am loving them in everything. I can't wait for all the fresh spring veggies to start popping up! I've already got my peas growing in my garden :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Des,
      I'm jealous of your peas, though my garlic did emerge from the ground 2 days ago so I know which bed I planted it in. [I forgot. Fall was a long time ago.]
      Thanks!

      Delete
  7. My chives are starting to come up and I've got a cluster of flowers, crocus I think, peeking through in the front beds. The rest of the yard still reflects the massive barrage of acorns and leaves we got doused with last fall. Oops.

    This pasta sounds warming, even if you can eat it cold. I like the idea of using sour cream and cream cheese for the sauce. It's a new concept for me and a novel one at that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      I've got mad ideas for chive blossoms coming up this spring. Save them puppies!
      Thanks!

      Delete