Primavera sauce is incredibly variable; some people like some vegetables, and some vegetables do better in one patch as opposed to another, so no two recipes are alike, though they all do share the freshness of spring. This sauce will work equally well over pasta and over scaloppini, and preparing a tasty meal with it will take minutes. To serve four:
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the first course:
- 1 pound (500 g) baby zucchini
- 2 ribs from the heart of a celery plant
- 2 small carrots
- A scallion
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup milk
- 5 basil leaves, shredded
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- A pinch of shredded hot pepper
- Olive oil
- 12 ounces (320 g) spaghetti
- Salt
- --
- For the second course:
- 1 pound (500 g) veal scallops
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
Wash the zucchini, trim their tips, quarter them lengthwise and dice them. Finely slice the scallion. Wash the celery, peel the carrot, and dice both.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a pot, flavor it with a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, and after a second add the scallion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring, over a medium flame for about 4 minutes, and then add the zucchini. Mix well, and then add the tomato sauce and the milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Check seasoning, and raise the flame if need be to thicken the sauce. Once it is the proper consistency, turn off the flame and stir in the parsley and basil.
In the meantime, bring pasta water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta; when it's done drain it and season it with half of the sauce.
While the pasta water is heating and the sauce is simmering, heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a skillet broad enough to contain all the scallops in a single layer and cook them over a brisk flame, turning them once (figure 2-3 minutes per side at the most). Salt them lightly, transfer them to a serving dish, spoon the remaining sauce over them, and keep them warm. Serve them with a tossed salad and crusty bread. The wine? A Chianti d'Annata would be nice, as would a Dolcetto.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a pot, flavor it with a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, and after a second add the scallion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring, over a medium flame for about 4 minutes, and then add the zucchini. Mix well, and then add the tomato sauce and the milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Check seasoning, and raise the flame if need be to thicken the sauce. Once it is the proper consistency, turn off the flame and stir in the parsley and basil.
In the meantime, bring pasta water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta; when it's done drain it and season it with half of the sauce.
While the pasta water is heating and the sauce is simmering, heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a skillet broad enough to contain all the scallops in a single layer and cook them over a brisk flame, turning them once (figure 2-3 minutes per side at the most). Salt them lightly, transfer them to a serving dish, spoon the remaining sauce over them, and keep them warm. Serve them with a tossed salad and crusty bread. The wine? A Chianti d'Annata would be nice, as would a Dolcetto.
