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pasta fresca feature 2

Pasta Fresca al’Ortolona

In the peak summer months (or any time of year!) nothing tastes as good as fresh pasta with garden vegetables. Heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil go in at the very end to keep their flavors and textures bright, while vegetables like snap peas, zucchini, and sweet corn are sauteed individually to ensure each is perfectly cooked. The pasta shape could be of any type but here I have cut my noodles into a fettuccine size. The shrimp sauteed with garlic in butter aren’t essential but certainly put this one over the top for me.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 batch Perfect Pasta Dough
  • 1/2 pound heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • 1 zucchini or summer squash
  • 8 ounces snap peas
  • 1 ear of sweet corn
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 ounces grating cheese
  • salt and pepper

pasta fresca meson place

Instructions

  1. Make your pasta dough at least 30 minutes ahead but preferably 2-24 hours in advance. 
  2. Saute your snap peas and zucchini one after the other until each are perfectly cooked. Set aside.As you prepare each ingredient, season gently with salt.
  3. Start your water boiling for the pasta while you finish rolling it out and cutting it.
  4. Add pasta to your boiling water and boil for 5-10 minutes
  5. Sautee your shrimp adding the corn and garlic in the last 2-3 minutes being careful not to overcook the shrimp
  6. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water and put into your saute pan, always adding enough water to keep the pan from going dry.
  7. Add all your cooked ingredients and toss grating in some parmesan or my favorite pecorino al tartufo
  8. plate and garnish with fresh basil leaves and slices of heirloom tomato.
  9. You can also garnish with Bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls) or slices of fresh mozzarella
  10. Finish with salt, pepper, olive oil and cheese as desired and fall in love.

pasta fresca feature 1

  • Author: Ben Lester