Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

We returned to Florida yesterday after an exciting week spent with the new parents and our, now, two grandchildren.  It was hard to leave them.  The weather in Cary had turned spring like the day Michael and Kristen brought Cameron home from the hospital so I made them a lovely and healthy pasta primavera.  After a week of takeout food and hospital food I thought it would be a welcomed change.

The recipe came from Giada De Laurentis.  Kristen has all of her cookbooks.  What I loved about this recipe was the fact that all of the vegetables are roasted first so that they have a nice caramelized flavor.  This can be done ahead of time.  Also there is no heavy sauce; just the olive oil and caramelized bits from the pan, the pasta water and the nutty Parmesan cheese.  The only addition I made to the recipe below was asparagus.  You can’t have a primavera without asparagus.

My thanks to all of you for your congratulatory comments.  The blogging community is truly a wonderful place.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

3 carrots, peeled
2 medium or 1 large zucchini
2 yellow summer squash
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried farfalle pasta (bow-tie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to450 degrees F.  Cut the carrots, zucchini, squash, and bell peppers into thin 2-inch long strips.  On a large, heavy baking sheet, toss the vegetable strips, onion, oil, dried herbs, and 2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper to coat.  Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another large, heavy baking sheet, and arrange the vegetables evenly over both sheets.  Bake, stirring after the first 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the other vegetables begin to brown, about 20 minutes total.

 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the cooked vegetables to combine.  Add the cherry tomatoes and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten.  Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the pasta to bowls.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Printable recipe