This photo was taken last night at my house. It’s a big bowl of Pasta Primavera, enough to feed about 10 people. My five guests and I did a good job, but there was quite a bit left. Leftovers for the next couple of days!
For those that didn’t read my earlier posts, this dinner was the first of many “sacred feasts” I hope to host once a month going forward. The idea came to me in prayer, and my aim is to show people that its pretty easy to eat good, healthy food, minus the meat. I’m not trying to convince people to become vegetarian, but rather just remind them that you can enjoy a good meal without meat.
I’m going to write more about the various courses I prepared in other posts, and today I want to talk about the Pasta Primavera. First off, if you go to a “real” Italian cookbook from someone like Guiliano Bugialli, you won’t find a recipe for it.
The reason is that it was created in the 1970’s at a famous New York City restaurant. Customers kept asking for lighter and healthier food, and Pasta Primavera was born. I decided to try it out since primavera means spring, and we’ve have a wonderful one so far, so it seemed fitting to celebrate the season with food!
Although the dish is a bit labor intensive, since all the vegetables have to be diced, I think it was worth it. I was surprised that the recipe didn’t include garlic. Brian, one of my guests, thought it was because of the zucchini and squash, whose delicate taste would have been overpowered if garlic had been added. Makes sense. Overall, a very successful dish, and perfect for a early spring dinner with good friends.
I served the pasta with a 2008 Vernaccia wine from La Mormoraia vineyards in San Gimignano, Italy. To me, this pairing was good, but not great. I’m going to keep making this dish, and I’m going to keep searching for the perfect wine to go along with it. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
You can find out how to make Pasta Primavera by clicking the recipe on the right. Enjoy!
