Traditional pasta recipes can sometimes seem a little heavy on hot summer days. But, with a little imagination, you can use fresh summer vegetables to create some deliciously light pasta dishes.
The key is to keep things simple. In summer, you should be able to get hold of fresh peas in the shops (if you can’t, frozen ones will do). Add some fresh mint leaves – which you can easily grow in a pot if you don’t have a garden – and you’ve got the basis for a lovely low fat dish.
Pasta with Mint and Fresh Peas - Recipe
Ingredients
- A couple of tablespoons of olive oil (or a couple of ounces of butter if you prefer)
- A small onion, finely chopped
- 500g pasta (whatever shape you want, tagliatelle, or penne perhaps)
- 300g shelled fresh peas (or substitute frozen)
- About 15 fresh mint leaves (adjust to taste)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Method
- Heat some of the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook until the onion softens (it will go transparent). Watch that it doesn’t burn – it will impair the flavour.
- Add the peas, cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes. When they’re cooked, remove from the heat.
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions (remember fresh pasta cooks far quicker than dried pasta).
- Tear the fresh mint leaves into small pieces.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain. Then return it to the saucepan over a low heat, and stir in the cooked peas and onions, and the mint. Mix well together.
- Then remove from the heat, and transfer the pasta to a serving dish. You can then serve it with freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper, and pour on a little extra virgin olive oil if you wish.
If you prefer creamy pasta, then add a little cream at point 5.
You can serve this with a fresh green salad.
Fresh spinach leaves also go well in summer pasta dishes. Just take a handful of fresh spinach and either wilt them over a steamer, or cook gently with some onion (as you do with peas in point 2 above). You could then add a handful of chopped walnuts.
Cherry tomatoes also taste delicious with pasta. Just cut them in half, then cook gently in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Crush a garlic clove, and add some fresh rocket (arugula) leaves and heat through. Then stir into cooked pasta, together with some freshly torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
