Le Marche and Food

La Primavera is Italian for the Spring and today’s pasta features 3 vegetables that are synonymous with Spring: asparagus, artichokes, and ramps. Although ramps are no longer in season here, my Friends to the North may still be able to find them. If not, feel free to substitute a few Spring onions, thinly sliced, reserving the green ends for garnish. There’s still plenty of asparagus available at the market and, as you may recall from last week, I’ve a nice stash of artichokes in the deep freeze. So, with these ingredients, this pasta will just about prepare itself. Now, as much as I enjoy a cream sauce, it would only mask rather than accent the delicate ramps. As a result, I prepared this pasta similar to Aglio e Olio, but with ramps used instead of garlic and with artichokes and asparagus added to the mix. As such, the dish is certainly simple enough to prepare but its success lies in the timing. Remember it is better to have the sauce ready and waiting for the pasta than the reverse. No one likes mushy pasta...

Read the full recipe

Well, Spring is finally here! All those lovely seasonal vegetables that are just beginning to arrive in the markets, the kind that Italians call primizie—asparagus, baby artichokes, fresh peas in their pods—are beginning to make their appearance in the local markets. There are so many ways to enjoy these vegetables, but one of the loveliest is to mix them all up in a risotto called, appropriately enough, risotto primavera, or Springtime Risotto.

The choice of vegetables is up to you. Use what you find most appealing in the market, but I'd say that asparagus (just the tips) and peas are pretty much a must...

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

For the flavor base:
1 medium onion or 1 shallot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
500-750g (1 to 1-1/2 lbs) mixed Spring vegetables, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (see Notes)
A large dab of butter (or a mixture of butter and oil)
Salt and pepper

300g (10 oz) rice for risotto (see Notes)
A splash of white wine
1 liter (1 qt) of broth (or more if needed), preferably homemade chicken, veal or vegetable broth

For the mantecatura:
A handful of fresh parsley and/or basil, finely chopped
100g (3-4 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

Click the photo for directions