I’ve never been to Paris in April, but who doesn’t love the iconic song about that city in that month?
Voila! It just happens to be April. So here’s a fast pasta dish to honor the City of Light.
But pasta isn’t French, you declare? Well, mon ami, neither am I. And yet, my name is Renee. Ah, tres ironique! So let’s just suspend our disbelief and create the idea of Paris by adding a few French-themed ingredients to pasta.
A few notes: French-cut beans are time-consuming to prepare, so we’re opting for frozen. Herbes de Provence is a lovely dried herb blend that no pantry should be without — it’s wonderful on vegetables, in salad dressings, on grilled meats. If you can, buy a blend that includes lavender, which adds a distinctive flavor and aroma. We used brie because it melts nicely, and we chose an inexpensive, prepacked variety. We’re even including snails — not the real-deal escargot but lumache pasta (loo-MAH-shay, aka “snails” in Italian). It’s a great cut that mimics a snail’s shape and is similar to medium shells — which are fine too, as is any pasta that will catch some of the ingredients in the mix.
April in Paris Pasta
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 2 servings
4 oz. pasta, lumache, medium shells or rigatoni
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. herbes de Provence
8 oz. frozen French-cut green beans
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (or about half of a 4.5-ounce container) brie, cut into nickel-size pieces
1 package (3 or 4 ounces) smoked salmon, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon, optional
Heat plenty of well-salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan; cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is softened, 2 minutes. Stir in herbes de Provence. Add green beans, wine, mushrooms and tomatoes; cook until vegetables have slightly softened and liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes.
Distribute the brie pieces among the ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally to encourage cheese to melt, about 1 minute. Drain pasta; stir into pan. Distribute the salmon over the ingredients; stir to distribute. Serve, sprinkled with the tarragon.
Nutrition information per serving: 532 calories, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 42 mg cholesterol, 60 g carbohydrates, 26 g protein, 502 mg sodium, 8 g fiber
About the Author
