Peasant Pasta Recipes

JAMES BEARD'S PLEASANT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until just tender. While pasta cooks, combine peas and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir until peas are thoroughly heated. Drain and set aside.
• Drain pasta, return to pot and toss with butter. Add peas, prosciutto and cream. Toss to mix well and to separate prosciutto strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add Parmesan to taste, and toss again. Serve piping hot, passing more Parmesan separately at the table.

PEASANT PASTA STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, combine the broth, celery, carrots and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the V8 juice, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, pepper and garlic powder. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes., Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add meat and beans to soup; cover and simmer 30-45 minutes longer or until heated through. Stir in pasta just before serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

PHEASANT PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the pheasant breasts into a baking dish, and pour in 3/4 cup white wine. Bake in the preheated oven until the pheasant is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, remove the meat from the bones, and cut into bite sized pieces.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the fettuccini, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion until it has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach, and pheasant pieces. Cook until the mushrooms have softened, then pour in 1/2 cup of white wine, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and pesto, and remove from the heat. Place the fettuccini in a serving bowl, pour the pheasant sauce over top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

PEASANT PASTA

Steps:

• In a large pot, brown/crumble sausage; drain sausage in colander.
• Wipe out pot and return to heat; add crumbled sausage back to pot, with tomatoes.
• Bring to a bubble and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add peas; cook 1minute; stir in cream, to blush the color of the sauce.
• Simmer until the pasta is ready to drain; adjust seasoning w/ salt and pepper.
• Toss 2/3 of the sauce with the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Top with the remaining sauce and serve with grated cheese, crusty bread and wine.

PEASANT PASTA

Steps:

• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir cream into your sauce, this will blush the color and cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir peas and basil into your sauce to combine. Toss hot drained penne rigate in pan with the sauce, then transfer pasta to serving bowl.