Pasta primavera: Better in summer

BY LINDA BASSETT

Most of us are familiar with Botticelli’s Venus standing on an open seashell, gentle breezes brushing her silky curls. The goddess recurs in artforms from classical poetry to a Joan Baez song. Obsessed, the artist painted her again and again, most notably in “Primavera,” a portrait of fullblown spring, with goddesses, budding flowers and fruits, in the air. Botanists counted over 100 species of vegetation in that background.

Pasta alla primavera, a chefs’ inclusion in that canon, works better in a New England summer than in still-freezing spring. The Saturday Farmers’ Market offers tender fresh vegetables to be seasoned, sauced and twirled with long strands of pasta.

Imagine Venus and her dancing goddess buddies dining on this, flutes of bubbly in hand, after a hard day tossing flower buds in the air.

A head waiter created the original recipe in 1970, in defiance of a French chef who refused to allow pasta in his

Summer is the best time to dive into pasta primavera

kitchen. He pulled a rolling cart tableside and created his own Broadway show, tossing pasta and vegetables right in the pan. Word spread; reservations soared; fame ensued. In decades since, chefs added beets, sausages, even whole cloves of garlic to this gentle vegetarian dish. (No!) This hasn’t slowed its popularity.

It’s easy to do at home remembering three basics:

First, primavera implies tender shoots — snap peas, tiny green beans, slender asparagus spears, baby squashes.

Second, no flour thickener! Make the sauce light, gauzy, ethereal as dandelion fluff on soft wind.

Third, no garlic. Garlic enhances sturdy autumn and winter soups, stews, thick tomato sauces. It overwhelms spring veggies. If taste buds need more depth, check the Saturday Farmers’ Market for chives, garlic scapes or zucchini flowers to scatter over the top, as if a goddess had left a golden trail.

ON COOKING PASTA: Fill a pot with 4 quarts of water. That much! Pasta must dance in the pot. When it hits a mad, rolling boil, add a handful of salt. A whole handful! Add a pound of pasta. The bubbles will subside. Stir; cover the pot partially; wait until bubbles flare again. Uncover. Stir again. Cook, uncovered, 2 minutes short of the time directed on the box. The texture should be al dente – tender, slightly chewy, not mushy. Drain in a colander. Ready for sauce!

PASTA PRIMAVERA

MAKES 6 MAIN DISHES, 8 FIRSTCOURSE SERVINGS.

These directions seem long, but you need only one pot of water, and a few seconds, to tenderize each vegetable. Individually. Why? Because they each cook at a different speed. Using a slotted spoon, scoop them out as they cook (al dente, tender but with some texture) into a bowl of ice water. With the pot still boiling, add the next vegetable, etc. (Don’t sweat one or two pieces stranded in the water – not half a dozen. Just add the next veggie when the pot bubbles again.)

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1 small bunch broccoli, in tiny florets

` 1 small bunch tiny green beans

` 8 thin asparagus spears, cut into ½-inch pieces

` 6 new carrots, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

` ¾ cup snap (sugar) peas, de-ribbed if needed

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4 tablespoons olive oil

` 6-8 fresh basil leaves, torn

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1 pound linguine or fettuccine, cooked and drained

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

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` 2 tablespoons hot water

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¼ to ½ cup heavy cream, as needed

2/3 cup grated parmesan

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` Lightly toasted pine nuts, snipped chives, zucchini blossoms, garlic scapes (optional) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. When it bubbles like it’s laughing, add one veggie at a time - broccoli, green beans, asparagus, carrot slivers and snap peas to the pot, your choice. Cook each one individually until tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Then remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. (Don’t empty the pot and start over with each vegetable.)

Cook the pasta in a separate pot while you blanch the veggies. Coat the bottom of a very large, stick-proof skillet with 2 tablespoons combined butter and olive oil. Turn off the heat; stir in the basil and the veggies to re-warm.

Add butter, heavy cream, parmesan and water, if the sauce seems too thick, to the skillet. Stir over low heat until smooth. Add half the cooked pasta to the pan; toss. Add remaining pasta. Toss again. The sauce should coat each strand. Plate on a large serving platter. If you like, sprinkle with optional garnishes, as listed above.