Spring Pasta with Green Garlic Peas and Morels Recipe
We like to make fresh pasta from scratch for this one but some fresh fettuccini (or even tagliatelle, if you like egg pasta) works too. Morels are in season right now (May 2016) so you can go forage them (here in the Cascades in Washington) or find them at your local co-op. Same goes for the peas, fresh is best! But make do with what you have.
Ingredients
1 pound fresh sweet peas (if using frozen peas bring to room temperature)
1/2 pound (give or take) fresh morel mushrooms
1 shallot
1 bulb green garlic
1 lemon
1/4th cup white wine (Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 pound fresh fettuccini
Parmigiano-reggiano
Directions
Step 1
Open the bottle of white wine. Set aside 2 tbsp. Then pour some of the rest into a wine glass. Have a few sips. Ok, ready to cook!
Step 2
Clean the morels. (How to here.) Chop the large ones so they are all around the same size. Then slice up that shallot and chop garlic. Chop parsley. Set all aside.
Step 3
Get that pasta water boiling. Just as you would cook spaghetti in a pot of water. (Note: fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried.)
Step 4
In a large pan, or cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat, then add the shallots and a bit of salt. The shallots should start to soften in about 4 minutes.
Step 5
Add the morels and stir frequently. After 10-15 minutes, they should be ready and released some of their liquid. Then, throw in the peas and garlic into the skillet, add the wine, and cook for just about 3-4 minutes. Peas should get bright green and garlic should get fragrant. Lastly, season with salt and pepper, and mix in the parsley.
Step 6
When the water comes to a boil, add some salt, then the pasta. Cook pasta until tender to the bite and drain. (Again, dried will take longer than fresh.) Toss immediately in the skillet/pan with the morels. If the pasta seems dry, add a 1/4th cup of the pasta water and stir.
Step 7
It’s ready to serve! Just grate some Parmigiano-reggiano on top, squeeze some lemon, sprinkle some sea salt, and most importantly, refill your wine glass.
