SPAGHETTI PRIMAVERA

SOURCE: CRAIG CLAIBORNE AND PIERRE FRANEY. CRAIG CLAIBORNE’S THE NEW NEW YORK TIMES COOKBOOK.

Spaghetti Primavera is every bit of an anomaly because it lacked the Italian patriotic roots, even when its green, white, and red colors remind of the Il Tricolore flag. Instead, it is an American brainchild conceived by the late Le Cirque restaurateur, Sirio Maccioni, during a weekend vacation over at an Italian baron’s house in Nova Scotia. Maccioni took inspiration from the childhood story of American painter Ed Giobbi about his grandmother’s pasta accompanied with heirloom tomatoes and lightly cooked spring vegetables, hence the Primavera title. The timing and reception of the Spaghetti Primavera was perfect, earning the acclaim of guests who were already fed up on eating lobster and wild boar. Once Maccioni took custody of his recipe, Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey raved about Spaghetti Primavera as the “most talked-about dish in Manhattan”, prompting Le Cirque clients to order the pasta despite its absence on the official menu. Ironically, Maccioni’s French chef and business partner, Jean Vergnes, was aghast at the idea of serving an “Italian dish” that he forbade its preparation inside his kitchen. The sight of Spaghetti Primavera getting prepared in the hallway only raised its reputation, and every Italian restaurant in New York City was soon forging one of Le Cirque’s signatures.

Ingredients

1/2 pound/250 grams broccoli, trimmed and broken into bite-size flowerets

1/2 pound/250 grams zucchini, preferably small, trimmed and cut into quarters at 1-inch/2.5-cm lengths

4 asparagus spears, each about 5 inches/13 cm long, cut into thirds

1/2 pound/250 grams green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch/2.5-cm lengths

OPTIONAL: 2.5 ounces/70 grams fresh OR frozen green peas

OPTIONAL: 2.5 ounces/70 grams fresh OR frozen pea pods

1 tablespoon/15 mL peanut, vegetable, OR corn oil

7 ounces/200 grams cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon/5 mL finely chopped chiles OR 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL dried red pepper flakes

1/4 cup/15 grams finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

1/3 cup/80 mL olive oil

1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1.5 pounds/700 grams plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped OR 1 pound/450 grams cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

6 fresh basil leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results, finely chopped

1 pound/450 grams spaghetti OR spaghettini

4 tablespoons/60 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons/30 mL chicken stock

1/2-3/4 cups/120-180 mL heavy cream

2/3 cup/75 grams freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

6 ounces/90 grams pine nuts, lightly toasted

Specific Equipment

Deep-bottomed stockpot

Strainer

Colander

Mixing bowl

Medium-sized skillet

2 large skillets for cooking and tossing the spaghetti/spaghettini

Medium-sized saucepan

Large mixing forks to toss the spaghetti/spaghettini

Serves 4 to 8

Instructions

1. Blanch the broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, and green beans separately for 5 minutes in a stockpot of boiling salted water. Draw each of the vegetables out of the boiling water using a strainer. Cool each of the vegetables under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Drain the vegetables thoroughly in a colander to dry. Transfer vegetables into a mixing bowl, and fold gently until all vegetables are well-blended.

2. Blanch the green peas and pea pods together in the same stockpot for 30 seconds to 1 minute, if desired. Draw the peas and the pea pods out of the boiling water using a strainer. Cool the peas and pea pods under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly in a colander to dry, and add the peas and pea pods into the mixing bowl to combine with the broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, and green beans.

3. Heat the peanut, vegetable, or corn oil in a medium-sized skillet under moderately high heat, and add cremini mushrooms into the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, while shaking the skillet to stir the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for 2 minutes, and add them to the vegetable mixture.

4. Season the mixed vegetables with finely chopped chiles or dried red pepper flakes and parsley. Fold the vegetables gently until everything is well combined.

5. Heat 3 tablespoons/45 mL olive oil and half of the chopped garlic in a large skillet. Stir in the vegetable mixture gently under moderately low heat just to cook through without breaking the vegetables. Remove from heat and set aside.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons/45 mL olive oil and the remaining half of the chopped garlic in a saucepan under medium heat. Add in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper gently, and sauté for 4 minutes, making sure to retain the juices and keeping the tomatoes intact. Remove the saucepan from heat, and stir in the chopped basil. Set the tomatoes aside

7. Cook the spaghetti or spaghettini in a stockpot of boiling salted water until al dente or almost but not quite tender. Drain the spaghetti or spaghettini in a colander.

8. While the spaghetti or spaghettini is draining, melt the unsalted butter in a large skillet. Stir in the chicken stock, 1/2 cup/120 mL heavy cream, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese until smooth under moderate heat. Toss in the spaghetti or spaghettini immediately to the butter and cream sauce to prevent the noodle strands from sticking to one another. Stir in half of the vegetable mixture, and pour in the juice from the tomato. Reduce the heat to low, and continue tossing the spaghetti or spaghettini with the vegetables until well-blended.

9. Add the remaining mixed vegetables into the skillet. Pour in 1/4 cup/60 mL heavy cream, only if the sauce appears dry. Add the toasted pine nuts. Toss everything again, one last time, until well-combined under low heat.

10. Remove the skillet from heat, and transfer the spaghetti or spaghettini in a serving platter. Spoon over the sautéed tomatoes, and sprinkle around with the remaining half of toasted pine nuts.