Students of pasta, which means most of us, may have observed a subtle but significant change of late in the pasta section on many restaurant menus in Chicago and elsewhere. Customers still find spaghetti and meatballs or tagliatelle with meat sauce, but increasingly they also will be offered pasta with vegetables and a vegetable sauce.
There’s nothing unusual about vegetable pasta dishes in the Old Country, especially as a change in season brings a new crop to market. It’s a fact, too, that a chef stands to make more profit from a vegetable pasta than from one featuring meat or fish, although the price of red bell peppers and several other showcase vegetables is narrowing the cost-of-ingredients gap.
I’d like to think, though, that the underlying cause is a heightened appreciation of vegetables and how well they combine with pasta of many shapes and colors. In the recipes that follow, three chefs use vegetable purees creatively to dress pasta. Wolfgang Puck uses red pepper strips as a topping for a puree of red pepper mixed with fettuccine. Paul Gayler tosses penne with pureed artichoke bottoms and garnishes the dish with roasted portobello mushrooms. Pino Saverino softens the bite of arugula by pureeing it with mild, sweet ricotta cheese, then adds arugula near the end of the preparation to provide texture contrast.
Whether these creations constitute “vegetarian” dishes depends in what camp you place dairy products.
RECIPES
PAUL GAYLER’S PENNE WITH ROASTED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS AND ARTICHOKE SAUCE
Four to six servings
3/4 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick
12 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the sauce:
4 cooked artichoke bottoms, rinsed well if canned
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put the portobellos in a roasting pan with the garlic cloves, pour the olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and the garlic is soft.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Put the artichokes, cheese, 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic in a blender and blitz to a puree. Then blend in the rest of the oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the penne in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain well. Return to the pot, add the butter and then the artichoke sauce. Toss with the pasta. Season to taste, then transfer to a serving bowl and top with the roasted portobellos and garlic. Finally, sprinkle the Parmesan over them and serve.
–From “A Passion for Vegetables” by Paul Gayler
WOLFGANG PUCK’S FETTUCCINE WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS
Two servings
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red bell peppers (about 1 pound), roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch strips
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup chicken stock
6 ounces fettuccine, fresh preferred
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add roasted peppers and red pepper flakes and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove about 1/4 of the mixture and reserve.
2. Pour stock into the pan with remaining pepper mixture and bring to a boil. Transfer ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to pan and keep warm.
3. Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente, about 1 minute for fresh pasta. (Cook dried pasta according to package directions.) Drain and stir noodles into the sauce. Stir in the thyme, vinegar and reserved pepper mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste.
–From “Wolfgang Puck’s Pizza, Pasta and More!”
PINO SAVERINO’S CONCHIGLIE IN ARUGULA-RICOTTA CREAM
Six to eight servings
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 bunches arugula, washed, stems removed and chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound fresh ricotta
24 ounces conchiglie (small shell-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, Parmigiano Reggiano preferred
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan; add garlic and onion. Cook 1 minute over medium heat, then fold in half the arugula. Stir constantly to help arugula wilt. Deglaze with wine; bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes or until wine nearly evaporates.
2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, spoon in the ricotta and blend until smooth. Salt to taste. Turn out into a serving bowl.
3. Cook conchiglie in salted boiling water until al dente; drain. Stir pasta into the puree; add remaining arugula. Adjust salt, if needed, top with Parmesan and sprinkle with pepper. Serve hot.
–From “Signature Pasta” by Paolo Villoresi and Micol Negrin
