Four Pasta Sauces for Spring

Image above: Ruby Rogers, 2017. Photo by Jean Pigozzi.

Like Ruby, we all love pasta.

At Shop The River Cafe we are cooking: new season's Spring Peas and Pancetta; Slow-cooked Tomato; Pork Ragu; Lemon, Rocket and Crème Fraîche.

All of these sauces may be delivered with dried pastas to go with them—Cipriani Tagliolini and Tagliarelle, Gentile Rigatoni and Casarecce.

If you would like to try cooking the Spring Peas and Pancetta sauce at home we've included the recipe below.

Like Ruby, we all love pasta.

Spring Peas and Pancetta

Slow-cooked Tomato

Pork Ragu

Lemon Rocket and Crème Fraîche

Recipe for Tagliolini with Spring Peas and Pancetta

Serves for 4

50g unsalted butter
100g pancetta, cut into matchsticks
150g spring onions
375g peas, podded
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
75ml Soave Classico white wine
3 tablespoons hot water
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
350g tagliolini
50g freshly grated parmesan
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the butter in a wide, thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the pancetta and spring onions and fry until the pancetta is lightly crispy.

Add the peas, garlic, a good pinch of salt and pepper, the Soave Classico and hot water. Cook at low heat until the liquid evaporates.

Add the parsley and olive oil. Cover and cook on a low heat for 15 more minutes.

Cook the tagliolini in boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Reserve a splash of the pasta water and drain.

Add the drained tagliolini to the pea mixture. Stir well, adding reserved pasta water. Top with Parmesan. Serve immediately.