The Best of the Season

For several years in high school and college, I was a vegetarian.  By definition, I did not eat meat; however, this concept was foreign to some of my relatives.  For example, I distinctly remember my (Jewish) grandmother telling me, "But bacon's different."  

Ummm, not really grandma, bacon comes from a pig.  

This memory came to me yesterday as I prepared what I had planned to be a vegetarian dinner, except of course for the bacon.  This recipe was a standout and the perfect way to highlight two of the best fresh vegetables of the season:  peas and asparagus.  And this recipe would have been equally wonderful without the bacon, so to my legions of vegetarian readers, take heart, this one is for you, too!

It is hard to know where to start, there were so many things to love about this recipe.  Visually, the pasta was just gorgeous, with several shades of perfectly cooked green vegetables.  I also loved the high vegetable to pasta ratio, always a plus in the book of those of us who think that pasta is merely a vehicle for sauce (I feel the same way about the role of chips and salsa).  While the recipe has a somewhat lengthy list of ingredients, nothing about this recipe was particularly complicated or time consuming; I didn't change any of timing, take any shortcuts, or accidentally forget anything.  Adding lemon juice and lemon zest to pasta was a bit of a gray zone in my cooking experience, but it was actually astoundingly good and worked perfectly with the basil.  I could go on and on, but the bottom line is simple:  this was really, really good.  And even vegetarian, at least according to my grandmother.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta
Without modification, from Bon Appetit/epicurious.com 
Serves 4

12 ounces fettuccine or penne 
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped 
1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces 
2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw) 
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts 
2 garlic cloves, pressed 
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving 
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel 
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided 
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.