Geoffrey Zakarian Just Shared The Perfect Spring Pasta Recipe
Spring is just around the corner, which means home cooks can finally take advantage of all the vegetables that come with this season. One of the best ways to do so comes in the form of spring pasta. According to Wise-Geek, chefs have used asparagus, spinach, zucchini, squash, and even avocado to make dishes like pasta primavera and a variety of other spins on this seasonal staple. Chefs are always coming up with new variations on spring pasta — chef and restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian recently took to social media to share his particular take on the dish.
In a recent appearance on "Today with Hoda and Jenna," Zakarian showed fans how to make a spring mushroom pea pasta (via Twitter). The simple recipe relied on fettuccine pasta, kosher salt, garlic, shallots, Paris mushrooms, butter, white wine, peas, basil, and Pecorino Romano. While the combination of ingredients looks fairly simple at first glance, Zakarian explained exactly how to create a meal greater than the sum of its parts.
Zakarian's spring pasta tips
The "Today Show" clip shared on Twitter contained a few tips that could help anyone looking to make a similar recipe at home. Geoffrey Zakarian explained that the water used for boiling the pasta needs to get heavily salted and should resemble sea water. The chef also explained the importance of adding some pasta water to the sauce, which contains starch that helps add a smooth texture to the final dish. Zakarian continued by saying that if you use fresh peas, you could potentially blanch them for a few seconds. Otherwise, frozen peas are a great choice.
After the fettuccine gets cooked to al dente, the chef then explained that you need to mix the almost-cooked pasta into the sauce along with some more pasta water. According to Serious Eats, this particular cooking method helps the sauce thicken, emulsify, and stick to the pasta. Zakarian finished off the dish with some chiles for an added touch. With a few simple techniques and ingredients, the chef proves that making a tasty springtime pasta doesn't have to be complicated.