Fettuccine con Verdure

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Fettucine con VerdureFettuccine, or ‘little ribbons’, are traditional egg noodles from the Roman area. Use either fresh or dried egg fettuccine, or dried durum what noodles as we do in the restaurants. This is a lovely spring pasta dish made with seasonal vegetables, and it’s a nice change that there’s no creamy sauce.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

  • 70g green beans
  • 3 tablespoons ASK Italian extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 240g (2 medium) courgettes cut into 1cm batons
  • 220g peas
  • 100g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and cut into large pieces
  • 80g baby spinach
  • 10g (1 medium) red chilli, de-seeded and cut into rings
  • 120ml water
  • 20g (about 25) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 500g De Cecco non-egg fettuccine, or 900g fresh egg fettuccine
  • 80g black olive tapenade
  • freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

What To Do:

  • Blanch the green beans by dropping them rapidly into boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the spinach leaves and wilt slowly, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside. Bring a large pan of salted water to the rolling boil for the pasta.
  • Heat the remainder of the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the chopped garlic and sauté lightly. Don’t let it burn.
  • Add the courgettes and sauté gently for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften. Stir in the peas, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, green beans, chilli and water and cook over a medium heat for a further 4 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm while the pasta cooks.
  • Drop the fettuccine into the boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (remember that egg pasta will cook faster than non-egg pasta). Using a mug, scoop out a cupful of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
  • Drain the fettuccine and turn them into the pan with the sauce. Cook together over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring to blend the sauce with the noodles. If the sauce seems dry, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.
  • Divide the pasta into hot bowls and place a spoonful of tapenade on top of each dish.

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