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Seasonal Family Almanac: Recipes, Rituals and Crafts to Embrace the Magic of the Year
Mushroom, Snap Pea and Sun-dried Tomato Penne Pasta
April 24, 2013
Dinner
HAPPY BELATED EARTH DAY! I know, I know. For a food-lovin’, nature-rompin’ freak like me’self, I should have been on top of that shit! (Eep, I swore!) But I wasn’t, because I was working my little bum off on my daytime gig PEAKS. Actually, PEAKS is all about bettering the earth by helping changemakers raise funds to bring a good cause to life.
So you see, I was worshipping the planet in my own way. Oh, and I made this delightfully earthy pasta for dinner last night in dutiful celebration. Wild ramp pesto and crimini mushrooms beam thoughts of forest gnomes trotting around loamy soil and tumble-pile leaves. Snap peas and sun-dried tomatoes welcome the Spring. It’s a comfort dish packed with Italian-flag hues and harmonious flavors.
Mushroom, Snap Pea and Sun-dried Tomato Penne Pasta
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Sun-dried tomatoes – 1 cup (substitute with 1 cup fresh, diced tomatoes)
- Water – 2 cups boiling water
- Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
- Mushrooms – 5 cups, sliced
- Snap peas – 3 cups
- Penne pasta – 1 box penne pasta
- Pasta water – 1/2 cup
- Wild ramp pesto – 3 tablespoons (substitute with basil pesto)
- Butter – 1 tablespoon
- Garnish:
- Black pepper – Freshly ground black pepper and olive oil for drizzling
- Parmesan cheese – Grated (optional)
Instructions
- Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Submerge them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and rinse them (they are often salty). Coarsely chop them; set aside.
- Put a pot of water with a pinch of salt on the stovetop to boil.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms. The mushrooms will begin to toss out water and shrink in size. When they turn dark brown and are simmering in water, stir in the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low.
- In a separate large pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium. Add the snap peas. Saute them until the skins begin to crinkle and brown a bit.
- Add the mushrooms and tomatoes to the snap peas and toss well. Reduce the heat to low.
- As soon as the water boils, cook the pasta al dente (with a bit of chew and shape; before it is completely soft). Drain the pasta in a colander but save 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the wild ramp pesto.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with the veggies and add the butter and pasta water. Stir well, creating a creamy barely visible sauce.
- Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and another drizzle of olive oil. Smack your lips!
Notes
Allergens: dairy, wheat
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