Primavera is Italian for Spring!
It’s literal translation is first faith, perhaps a reminder that during the winter, one might be susceptible to possible misgivings and doubt about life in general. With the coming of spring, however, we are rewarded with renewed faith in the world.
This morning, the light shone through our skylight and I was introduced to my first ever experience of sunbathing in bed – (something I thoroughly recommend, by the way). This flood of electromagnetic radiation did indeed do strange and wondrous things to my psyche. As I lay soaking up the sun rays I began to feel energised and revitalised with renewed conviction.
There have been innumerous poems, songs and canvases dedicated to capturing the light in Italy. And I can vouch for such a temptation. Who wouldn’t want to abduct a sea of honey and take it home in a jar?
Be that as it may, I prefer to leave such Herculean tasks to the Greats, choosing instead, to stick to such mortal activities like making lunch.
(Of course food is also an art form here, nothing is too pedestrian to be beyond the possibility of becoming a transcendental experience… )
On such a day, inspired by the light, the season and Botticelli, it only seems right to prepare a pasta primavera.
Now let me make myself clear, I am in no way attempting to offer a definite or authentic recipe – As I mentioned before, I leave such Herculean tasks to the Greats!
Recipes in Italy are notoriously local. Meaning every hill has its version of a dish and therefore one cannot attempt to make an authoritative claim on any ingredients that should or should not be included accordingly.
So, in short, I am simply giving you a record of some stuff I found in my cupboard today.
For the pasta primavera:
– Large shell pasta (Conchiglie)
– Frozen peas (piselli)
– Sicilian cherry tomatoes (pomodori)
– Fresh parsley (prezzemolo)
– 1 tsp green pesto (Genovese)
For the salad:
– 1 Fenel (finocchio)
– 1 Orange (arancia)
– Half a pomegranate (mezzo di Melograno)
– Balsamic vinegar (Balsamico)
For Dessert:
Strawberries (fragole)
Lemon yogurt (yogurt al limone)
Ideally all ingredients should be in season and gathered from your garden… (What was I was saying about the Greats?)
Method:
First put on this playlist:
Then, cook Conchiglie in boiling salted water with a generous dollop of extra virgin oil.
About 6 minutes in, throw in the frozen peas.
Meanwhile remove peel from orange and cut it up into slices.
Cut fennel into slices in any which way you can.
Cut pomegranate and get the rubies out, in any which way you can.
Toss everything into salad bowl and drizzle balsamic vinegar.
Your pasta should be done now so drain and put into pretty large bowl.
Cover in extra virgin olive oil and 1 tsp of pre-made pesto from a jar (tut tut, roll of eyes, these lazy anglo-saxon women)
Cut cherry tomatoes into halves and throw onto pasta.
Add parsley
Mix thoroughly.
Rinse strawberries and serve with lemon yogurt.
Eat!!
You might want to consider opening a bottle of prosecco?
