ROUGHLY CUT
  • HOME
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT >
      • SEAWEED CO.
      • MURALS W/ TREIBDESIGN
      • MF POTTERY X TREIBDESIGN
      • WASSAIC PROJECT X TREIBDESIGN
    • DOCUMENTARY >
      • AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
      • ARCHITECTURE
      • LANDSCAPES
      • PEOPLE + SCENES
    • PRODUCT + VISUAL STORYTELLING
    • FOOD >
      • SRI LANKAN FRUIT
      • MEXICAN FRUIT
      • MORTAR + PARSLEY
  • CULTURAL ARCHIVE
    • MATCHBOOKS
    • XEROX
    • MAPS + POSTERS
  • CERAMICS
  • EMBROIDERY
  • JOURNALS
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT

Sweet Pea and Herb Ricotta Pasta Salad

6/11/2014

6 Comments

 
Picture
I was on the road a lot this spring but now I’m ready to relax and settle into summer. Relax into morning iced teas and late night ice creams, into sun hats and flip flops and smelling like sunscreen. Relax into the poolside beers and dinner parties where the sun refuses to go down. So I though I would share a good potluck dish that tastes like summer, but is so easy to make it doesn’t keep you from enjoying it!

Remember how I said that summer begins and ends with basil pesto…well, enter summer! I know it’s not official, we have a little over a week to go, but I decided to bring out the basil pesto. It’s a little different than the one I made for you guys before; it’s still a no cook, delicious the next day, pasta salad. Cue, sweet peas and grape tomatoes, more summer staples, then throw in some parsley, lemon and top it off with chives and you’ve got something special.  

The sweet pea herb ricotta sauce – a non traditional take on a pesto – is still a simple blender sauce, which is good because it leaves more time for you to make a little something extra like…a sweetly tart honey balsamic reduction that makes this dish a little fancy. A good looking well dressed pasta salad is always welcome at any party.

Sweet Peas are made of these…
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Sweet Pea and Ricotta Pasta Salad                                                                                                                            PRINT RECIPE
[Prep: 15 mins / Cook: 10 mins / TOTAL: 25 mins
[Serving size: 4 dinner sized portions]
  • 3/4 cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, washed, sliced and marinated in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a dash of salt
  • 2/3 cup ricotta
  • 3 tablespoons crumbled feta
  • 1/2 cup packed parsley, washed
  • 1/2 cup packed basil, washed
  • lemon juice from 1 lemon
  • lemon zest from 1 lemon
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons chives, washed and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 box farfalle [bowtie] pasta

Picture
Picture
Picture
If using frozen peas make sure to take them out ahead of time so that they can defrost. If using fresh peas give yourself a little extra time to shell them.

Fill up a large pot with about 5 quarts of water - or until water is about 3 inches from the top. Salt generously - at least 1 tablespoon - cover and set heat to high.

Wash tomatoes and slice thinly. Marinate the tomato slices in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Wash and stem the basil and parsley, zest and juice 1 lemon, and peel 3-4 gloves of garlic [I like a lot of garlic, but it is used raw here so it gives a lot of kick, so use less if you want the flavor to be milder]. Chop the feta into small pieces and mince the chives. The feta, lemon zest and chives will be used as a topping, you can put them aside to use at the end.

In a small food processor combine the ricotta, sweet peas, washed and stemmed basil and parsley, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic cloves, a few pinches of salt and a few grind of fresh cracked black pepper. Blend until all ingredients are incorporated and the texture is smooth. Let sit in the food processor.

When water begins to bowl add the pasta and set timer to 8 minutes.

Pour the balsamic vinegar and honey into a small skillet and cook over high heat until it begins to bubble/boil. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer until it has reduced to half of its volume and is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes.

When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/3 cup pasta water before draining. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and toss with a splash of the pasta water and a tablespoon of olive oil, mix well.

Add the reserved pasta water to the sweet pea ricotta sauce and blend – this will help to thin out the sauce a little. Toss the pasta as well as the marinated tomatoes and the sweet pea ricotta sauce. Top the pasta with feta, lemon zest and chives, drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top.

Enjoy!
Picture
Picture
6 Comments
Connie
6/11/2014 01:34:36 am

looks so YUMMY!!!!

Reply
Ali link
7/3/2014 04:51:46 am

You should make it!

Reply
Kaspar link
6/11/2014 10:24:55 pm

The taste of Summer is here.

Reply
Ali link
7/3/2014 04:52:08 am

Well said :o)

Reply
mom
6/12/2014 12:23:47 pm

This looks really great - could be our next summer classic...??
I 've never seen garlic photographed so beautifully before.

Reply
Ali link
7/3/2014 04:52:24 am

Thanks!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    more about
    Mortar + Parsley








    All
    Breakfast
    Dessert
    Dinner
    Lunch
    Meat
    Pasta
    Rice / Risotto
    Salad
    Sandwich
    Seafood
    Soup
    Vegetarian

    Stuff I follow...

    Not Without Salt
    My New Roots
    Sprouted Kitchen
    Thug Kitchen
    Lady and Pups
    A CUP OF JO
    The Daily Meal
    Melissa Clark ...always
    3191 Miles Apart
    The Sartorialist
    Garance Dore
    The Nourished Kitchen

    Archives

    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Home  Photography  Cultural Archive  Ceramics  Embroidery  Journals  About  Shop  Contact
© 2018 Alexandra Filippelli. All rights reserved.
All images unless otherwise noted are from the archives of Alexandra Filippelli.
All photography unless otherwise noted is by Alexandra Filippelli.

  • HOME
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT >
      • SEAWEED CO.
      • MURALS W/ TREIBDESIGN
      • MF POTTERY X TREIBDESIGN
      • WASSAIC PROJECT X TREIBDESIGN
    • DOCUMENTARY >
      • AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
      • ARCHITECTURE
      • LANDSCAPES
      • PEOPLE + SCENES
    • PRODUCT + VISUAL STORYTELLING
    • FOOD >
      • SRI LANKAN FRUIT
      • MEXICAN FRUIT
      • MORTAR + PARSLEY
  • CULTURAL ARCHIVE
    • MATCHBOOKS
    • XEROX
    • MAPS + POSTERS
  • CERAMICS
  • EMBROIDERY
  • JOURNALS
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT