French la Vie

Food memories the kind that instantly brings you back to a place, a table, a moment. Years ago, traveling with the children, we stayed in a hotel where they served a pasta with a sauce that wasn’t cooked. Just fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, Parmesan, and a few other things blended together and spooned over warm pasta. When we returned home, it became a fam fav. 

Recently, I kept seeing combinations of asparagus and peas folded into pasta- Spring on a plate. The freshness, the deconstruction reconstruction idea took me back to that earlier dish.

I used fresh lasagna sheets—larger than usual, after a quick dip in boiling salted water. Each one laid flat, waiting. Over the surface, I spread a generous amount of fresh pesto. Urges to lick the spoon, were haunting! Then pieces of burrata, pinched and scattered so every bite would find lushious-ness..

The peas and asparagus were fresh, then cooked separately. They went over the top, tucked here and there. You could add lemon zest, and or roasted hazelnuts for crunch—

I folded the pasta over itself, almost like closing a letter, and repeated the process—another layer of pesto, more burrata, a few more vegetables. A drizzle of olive oil, a good grind of pepper.

Around the dish, I scattered the remaining peas and asparagus. A handful of coriander sprouts over the top, though basil would be just as lovely.

I remember reading somewhere years ago—such a simple idea—that you can take fresh peas, or even frozen if that’s what you have, place them in a strainer set over a larger bowl, and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit for a few minutes. They come out tender yet still with a bit of crunch. You can do the same with spinach too, but that’s another story.

Overcooked pasta and vegetables is a crime against texture, and flavor—

This came to the table- the kind of dish that invites everyone to lean in with dancing tastebuds.