Pasta primavera

Primavera means spring in Italian, and the word refers to the crisp, new-season vegetables that are the stars of this dish.

Credit: SBS Food

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g linguine
• 700 g broad beans, podded, or 350 g frozen
• 500 g peas, podded, or 250 g frozen
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, halved lengthwise
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 25 g butter, chopped
• 8 zucchini flowers, stamens removed, stems sliced into thin rounds (see Note)
• 100 g (1¼ cups) grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve

Instructions

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook broad beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking water in pan. Refresh under cold running water, then peel and set aside.

Add peas to pan with reserved boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking water in pan. Refresh under cold running water, then drain and set aside.

Cook asparagus in reserved boiling water for 2 minutes or until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving 125 ml cooking water. Refresh asparagus under cold running water, then drain and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add zucchini stems and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until just softened. Add pasta, broad beans, peas, asparagus and reserved liquid, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then add parmesan and zucchini flower petals, tossing to combine. Serve immediately scattered with extra parmesan.

Note

• Zucchini flowers are available from select greengrocers. Male zucchini flowers are larger than the female ones and have a prominent stalk. Female flowers, which may also be used for stuffing, have a smaller zucchini stem attached to the flower.

Photography Chris Chen

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.