Three Layer Cake

Pappardelle Primavera

During the Salone del Mobile, we had the pleasure of eating in a Milanese restaurant, Trattoria degli Orti (via Monviso 13, tel. +39 02 3310 1800) that served a pasta dish which knocked our new socks off!  Camillo, our server and also the son of the cook, Rosi, was very outgoing and friendly, sporting an All Black rugby shirt, and very eager to convince us to order just about one of everything on the menu.  We were so stuck on the asparagus and peas pasta we couldn’t consider cleansing out palate with anything else, though.  My friend wanted the recipe, so I asked the waiter and he took us to the kitchen door to meet Rosi, who told us the following, with a kind smile, making sure we understood what she meant as she walked us through each step: 

“Sauté some white onion and garlic, and a little piece of bacon if you have it, if not, ok.  Then add the peas, freshly hulled, and the asparagus.  Then add a little bit of broth if you’ve got it already made, if not you can use a bouillon cube or extract, and then a little bit of tomato, just to give it a little color and let it cook until the asparagus soften some.  And at the end add some butter so that it becomes creamy.  Oh yeah, and a little flat leafed parsley.” 

All of this served over fresh pappardelle (which are long, flat, and about 1 - 1.5 inches wide .  The dried kind is fine, as long as it’s egg pasta), and of course with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

To me, this makes perfect sense because it’s really the way many Italians cook.  Not with measures or weights, but by knowing how much of each ingredient to add to balance out the flavors (i.e. don’t overpower with too much onion) and please the palate of who’s eating. 

But if you’re someone who likes a little more precision, here are a few tips:  Try adding equal amounts of asparagus, cut into pieces, and peas (you can also use fava beans instead of peas).  For four people, use only half of a medium white onion.  You can remove the bacon (or smoked meat) before serving, or leave it in.  The tomato should not add too much liquid to the sauce, but at the same time, the sauce shouldn’t end up being too dry.  Add the parsley at the end.  Consider also adding a bit of fresh basil.

intro photo:  Diane Diederich

content photo: Jason Webber