Photo by PETER GLATZ
Pasta with asparagus, peas and mushrooms.
Having spent the past winter in semi-hibernation, I’ve returned to my job as a chef at Caprae Restaurant at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery in Champaign. I am once again living in my converted school bus next to the goat barn. I hadn’t planned on being here again. Last fall, I declared, as I have for the last three years, that I was finally ready to retire. But after a long, cold, dreary winter, the anticipation of spring and the opportunity to cook with all of its offerings has lured me back once again into the restaurant kitchen.
The arrival of spring heralds a delightful shift in the produce we are able to cook with. The long months of relying on root vegetables and stored produce have finally come to an end, replaced by the promise of fresh, locally grown ingredients.
The first signs of new spring growth fill me with excitement. Ramps and morels are popping up in the woods. Soon after, local radishes, asparagus, spring peas and green garlic are being delivered through the back door, bringing with them new culinary options.
This expanding variety breaks the monotony of winter cooking and inspires us to create new and refreshing dishes. Heavy winter stews and braises make way for fresh salads, grilled vegetables and simple preparations that allow the ingredients’ natural flavors to shine through. Dishes become brighter in taste and appearance, reflecting the renewed energy of the season. The focus shifts to highlighting the inherent beauty of each vegetable, which often requires minimal cooking and simple seasonings.
Our restaurant relies on our partnership with local farmers. It’s always an exciting time when we receive our deliveries from Down at the Farms, LLC, a farmer-to-farmer marketing and delivery service based outside the north central Illinois town of Fairbury. Down at the Farms represents more than 60 of the finest farms in central Illinois, and its ever-changing offerings drive our menu.
Our latest delivery featured foraged mushrooms, asparagus, spring peas and radishes. We love to design our menu specials around these offerings. This week’s recipe celebrates the arrival of spring with a medley of fresh, seasonal vegetables that showcase the vibrant flavors and colors of the new growing season.
Pasta with asparagus, peas and mushrooms
Ridged, grooved or spiral pasta shapes, such as rotini or casaracee are ideal for holding sauces, particularly cream-based ones. The addition of miso amplifies the umami or savoriness, but miso is salty, so don’t season your dish till the end. If fresh English peas are unavailable, frozen peas can be used as a substitute but add them toward the end of cooking.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
3 tablespoons light olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 tablespoons shallots, small dice
½ pound morel or oyster mushrooms
1 bunch of asparagus
½ pound of shelled English peas, snap or snow peas – or a combination
8 ounces (2 cups) dry rotini or other ridged, grooved, spiral-shaped pasta
1 cup crème fraîche (See note below)
Juice and zest of one lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Pea shoots for garnish (optional)
Note: Crème fraîche is easy to make, but you must plan ahead. Combine two tablespoons of cultured buttermilk or yogurt with one pint of heavy cream. Leave it out at room temperature until thickened, about 12 hours, then refrigerate. Be sure to use pasteurized products, not ultra-pasteurized ones. Many organic brands are ultra-pasteurized and won’t work.
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the head of garlic in half crosswise to expose the cloves. Arrange the halves, cut sides up, on individual pieces of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tightly wrap each half and place on a sheet pan. Roast until tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes.
When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into a small bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the miso and combine into a paste. Set aside.
If using morels, clean them by swishing and soaking in cold water for at least 30 minutes and lay them out to dry on paper towels. Cut the morels into bite-sized pieces. Older, larger morels can be cut into rings, and smaller mushrooms can be cut in half lengthwise. If using oyster mushrooms, trim off and discard the tough bottoms, and shred the mushrooms longways into narrow strips.
Remove the tough bottom ends of the asparagus and save them for soup stock or compost them. Slice the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces, keeping the tips whole.
If using fresh English peas, remove them from their pods. For snap peas and snow peas, pinch off the ends and remove the strings.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Blanch each vegetable separately (asparagus and peas) in the boiling water for one minute. Immediately transfer the blanched vegetables to the ice bath to cool, then pat them dry on a towel–lined tray. Set the vegetables aside. Empty the pot, refill with fresh, generously salted water and bring to a boil again for cooking the pasta.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the shallots and mushrooms until the shallots become translucent and the mushrooms are softened and have given up some of their moisture. Add the butter and the garlic-miso puree; cook for a few more minutes. Add blanched vegetables and toss to combine. Remove from heat.
Drop the pasta into the pot and cook until just shy of al dente, usually two minutes less than the package instructions. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving one cup of the pasta water.
Transfer the pasta to the pan with the vegetables. Add the crème fraîche, lemon zest, lemon juice and half of the reserved pasta water. Place the pan over high heat and cook, stirring and tossing continuously. If the sauce becomes too thick, add splashes of the reserved pasta water to reach the desired creamy consistency. Cook until the liquid reduces and forms a creamy sauce that coats the pasta.
Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, give it a few grinds of black pepper and garnish with (optional) pea shoots. Serve immediately.
Peter Glatz is enjoying his retirement as a line cook at Caprae, Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery’s farm-to-table restaurant in Champaign.