Fettucine Primavera

(serves 4-6)

Primavera is italian for Spring. I read that the original idea of this dish was to utilise the seasonal vegetables from the beginning of Spring to make a quick and simple pasta dish. Un buon idea! (A great idea!) except it's hard to know now what is seasonal, as everything is always available - not that i'm complaining. I suppose another consideration is that Spring in Italy is not the same as Spring in Sydney... but nonetheless, i decided to make this dish as more of a celebratory symbolic gesture to welcome Spring!

Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 20 min


Ingredients:
4 yellow squash
100g green beans
2 bunches of asparagus
100g sugar snap peas (or frozen peas)
2 zucchini
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
300mL cream
1-2 T seeded mustard
Rind and juice of 2 lemons
500g curly fettucine
50-100g Parmesan, shaved


Method:
1. Top and tail the green beans and sugar snap peas. Remove the string running alongside the pod for the snap peas.
2. Wash and cut the squash into sixths
3. Wash the asparagus, cut off the end of the stem and cut into 3cm stalks.

4. Boil water, salt the water generously and boil the green beans, squash and asparagus for 3min then drain in a collander.
5. Cut the zucchini into thin circles, and wash the sugar snap peas.
6. Heat oil in a fry pan, add 2 cloves of garlic and the zucchini and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until zucchini is soft.
7. Add the sugar snap peas, salt and pepper and continue to mix through for 2 minutes until peas are cooked. Mix in the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes, adding the lemon juice to taste.

Super healthy with lots of green (and yellow) vegetables

N.B. You don't want to over-cook the vegetables so they are too soft, therefore keep an eye on timing the sauce and pasta so that the vegetables don't have to be on the heat for too long. If multi-tasking is difficult, then just make sure you take the vegies off the heat whilst making the sauce and pasta.
8. For the sauce, use a separate saucepan and heat 1 T oil, then add the garlic and the mustard. Stir in the cream. Add the lemon rind and keep on heat until sauce thickens.
9. Cook the curly fettucine in boiling salted water until al dente.
10. Mix the sauce into the vegetables, then add the pasta and toss to coat the pasta. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grated Parmesan.