Four P’s For Spring – Pasta, Pesto, Peas and Parmesan (Meatless Meal Idea)

I know it’s premature; Spring actually begins on March 21st, but after the long winter we had here in the northeast, I’m celebrating it today – March 1st!

Today I want to share a recipe that feels like spring and is of course simple and special to serve.  After looking my cook books, recipe clippings from magazines and performing an exhaustive google search – I found it!  I hope you love this as much as I do and that it makes you feel excited about the snow melting, warmer weather and crocus bulbs bursting through the thawing ground.

Not many foods make me feel  like spring more then peas, add mint to the mix and you have me all the way there.  A meal like this will have me enjoying spring even if it’s only in mind.

Below is a link to Luisa Weiss’ adaptation of Mario Batali’s recipe.  Sorry, I can not repost her recipe here.  However, it’s well worth a tiny click to see it.  It’s perfection with the exception, in my opinion, of the pasta selection.  I recommend swapping the pappardelle for spaghetti.  My reasoning is simple -  I think it just eats better with this pairing.  Sorry, Mario and Luisa.

Pappardelle with Peas and Parmesan Ingredients Below for Directions go>
Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon wildflower honey
• 3 cups fresh shucked peas (or frozen)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound fresh homemade pappardelle or 1 pound dried fettucine
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, torn in half

Image credit http://www.bbcgoodfood.com