First day of Spring Lemon Shrimp and Fresh Pea Bowtie Pasta with Mint Chiffonade

     

      ~ A childhood spent in southern California comes with many blessings… unfortunately an appreciation for the seasons is not necessarily one of them. Days and forecasts idle along and pleasantly blend together without any major meteorological drama. It took living in Baltimore to truly appreciate just how brilliantly green a new spring leaf can really be. 

     Late Winter is grey and gloomy…all the crisp and sparkly white snow has turned into dingy, grey slush, dull naked tree limbs are faintly visible against sullen skies…everyone is in post-holiday, worn out, vitamin D starved depression…blah, blah, blaher…and then there it is…that first teeny, tiny nub of green promise. 

       My default color authority, Crayola box of 120, calls it most appropriately “Screaming Green”, renamed from “Ultra Green” in 1990. About 5 days after those tenuous leaves appear, the entire landscape is gloriously, screaming green!  Salvation comes to our winter bleary eyes! The earth starts popping out a sexy palette of crocus, tulips and fruit blossoms in every luscious coral/pink shade imaginable.  The birds and bees start to mambo and then the rest of us join the line… reborn, hopeful and in love.

        What we hunger to eat follows the same song…after hearty, soul-full, warming stews, soups and roasts, our palette is starved for bright, fresh, tangy, and crunchy.  To me Spring’s plate is tart, lemony asparagus, dill dusted salmon,  sun-warmed morning strawberries, tender green onions and the only time of year peas are tolerable.

Lemon Shrimp and Fresh Pea Bowtie Pasta with Mint Chiffonade

~To “Chiffonade”… Stack leaves on top of each other, roll them tightly into a tube, then cut across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine dainty ribbons…a ceramic knife will help keep the edged from browning.

1/2 cup shallots, minced

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups fresh peas

1 lb medium shrimp, shells off

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 pound bow-tie pasta

1/2 cup mint leaves

sea salt

black pepper

Gently sauté the shallots in butter, in a

saucepan over medium heat until softened.

Add the lemon juice and wine.

Boil until the liquid is reduced in half.

Add the cream, peas, shrimp, zest, and Parmesan to the pan.

Reduce heat and cook...stirring frequently... until shrimp just turns pink, 3-4 minutes….remove from heat.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente… drain well.

Toss pasta in a serving bowl with sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste…add the mint just before serving.

*I guess if you must…frozen peas would be acceptable.  Please, please don’t use canned…I am afraid in the middle of all the bright lemon yellow and minty green that baby poop color would just be too depressing.

From: "Love Fest: Everyday Celebrations and Exclamation Point Meals For Those You Love and Cherish," by Mango Dragonfly.

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Photograph by Malene Thyssen