spring pasta with snap peas, spinach and mushrooms

i get really stoked on spring peas! there is nothing in the world like the snappy, crisp sweetness they have going on right now. i buy sugar snap peas from the grocery store year-round, but they are kind of disappointing. i’m saying “kind of”, because they may be the only fresh peas you can get your hands on, and some peas are better than no peas — but honestly they don’t hold a candle to fresh sugar snap peas from my mom’s garden (or your local farmer’s market). i’m buying these babies by the pound at my local markets! they are insanely delicious and i can’t get enough. plus, aren’t they beautiful?…

sugar snap peas can be shelled (for making a pea puree, for example, or for tossing into fried rice or risotto), or eaten whole, in their pods, like in this lovely, springy pasta. my girl martha inspired this dish, but i added mushrooms for protein (my trainer would be so proud) and general awesomeness. (mushrooms are such a super-food of nature, right? fiber, protein, vitamins C and D, all kinds of other goods to possibly help prevent cancer and improve hearing and eyesight. but also they are so tasty!) i’ve been positively shocked by the price of meat these days, so i’m trying to fuel us at home with legume/vegetable proteins. beans! lentils! mushrooms!

this pasta comes together in a single pot and won’t heat up your kitchen too much on a warm June evening. visit your local farmer’s market for fresh peas and spinach and enjoy every bright, flavorful bite of late Spring. (here’s a handy online tool: enter your zip code for a market near you!)

inspired by Martha Stewart

serves 3 – 4

• 1/2 pound short pasta, such as farfalle
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, halved
• 1 TBSP olive oil or butter
• 1 lb mushrooms of any variety, cleaned, stemmed and sliced
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• a few handfuls fresh spinach
• about 2 oz Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta about 1 minute less than package instructions, then add snap peas and cook 30 more seconds. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

In same pot, heat olive oil or butter over medium-high heat. Sautee mushrooms until beginning to brown. Add cream and wine and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add  Parmesan and spinach, stirring, until spinach wilts, then return pasta and peas to pot. Stir until warmed through, adding 1/4 – 1/2 cup pasta water to make a light sauce, if necessary. Lastly stir in basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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