Pappardelle [pah-pahr-DEHL-lay] is long, wide (5/8 inch) pasta often found in Italian markets. Fettuccine is a fine substitute.
Even though asparagus spears are in markets many months of the year, they're best freshly harvested from local farms. The green spears are the shoots of a perennial lily bulb. When the soil is warm enough the spears shoot up through the surface and head straight for the sun. They grow fast, and are ready to eat, long and thick, just a day after they break through the dirt. For a springtime pasta that stars asparagus, slice thick spears on a diagonal.
The spring flavors of asparagus and pesto combine beautifully with fettuccine and shrimp in a light and simple pasta dish that works for family or casual entertaining. Make it a meal: Serve with a tomato-and-arugula salad tossed with mustard-balsamic vinaigrette and fruit sorbet for dessert.
Because of its shape, orzo can do nearly anything rice can do, and if youre a pasta lover, you might say orzo does it better. Saffron and fennel are two characteristic flavors in many Mediterranean dishes.
Tinkyada brand brown rice lasagna noodles (available at Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, and Shaw’s) have the best heft and chew of any gluten-free noodle Nicole Stefanelli has tried; she thinks they come closest to conventional wheat pasta.
Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple light summer sauce. We like it over angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta will work. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a mixed green salad.
Most people eat arugula greens (also known as rocket), which have a lemon-pepper flavor, in a salad. But this leafy vegetable is also wonderful in a pesto or to dress up a pizza or pasta. Buy it by the bunch, remove the stems, and thoroughly rinse the leaves, which can be quite sandy, in cool water. To make this pasta, cook spaghetti, and while it bubbles, saute red onion, garlic, and lime rind in olive oil, then add the spaghetti to the pan. Toss with lime juice, a dash of cayenne, chopped basil, and a few cups of arugula. The heat of the spaghetti cooks the vegetable.
Cool soba is often served plain alongside individual portions of dipping sauce. Ready-made tsuyu is available in bottles, but its flavor pales compared with fresh, which requires just four ingredients -- soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi, the traditional Japanese broth for which I make the highly unorthodox substitution of soba cooking water. Other flavors, commonly wasabi or ginger, can also be added. Bucking tradition again, I find that soba also goes well with heartier garnishes and dressings.
3 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup sake or dry sherry
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar