Garden-Style Straw and Hay Pasta with Bagna Cauda Sauce
- 2 bulbs hardneck garlic (about 24 cloves), cloves separated and skin left on
- Sea salt
- A couple handfuls each of assorted farm-fresh vegetables: asparagus, baby golden beets, baby carrots, baby zucchini, cauliflower or purple cauliflower, haricots verts, pattypan squash and/or sugar snap peas (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
- 1/4 cup EVOO
- Two 2-ounce tins or one 4-ounce jar good-quality flat anchovy fillets, drained
- 1 pint heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces egg pasta, such as tagliatelle
- 8 ounces spinach pasta, such as tagliatelle
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- Bring a small pot of water to a low boil, then add the garlic and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Let cool, then drain, peel and mash into a paste.
- Season with sea salt.
- Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large pot and season with salt.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Cut the vegetables into similar shapes and sizes but keep them separate.
- Blanch the vegetables, one kind at a time, until tender-crisp.
- Delicate vegetables like thin beans will take 1 to 2 minutes, firmer vegetables like squash will take 3 minutes.
- After each batch, transfer them to the ice bath to cool using a spider or a small strainer.
- Drain well.
- Heat the EVOO in a small pot over medium heat.
- Add the anchovies and stir until they break down and melt into the oil.
- Add the heavy cream, butter and garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring, until thickened.
- Let the sauce cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight (or longer).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season with salt.
- Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the vegetables in the last 2 minutes of cooking to reheat them.
- Reheat the bagna cauda sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Toss the pasta and vegetables with the sauce and the parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook's Note: You can blanch the vegetables ahead of time.
- Store them in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator.
hardneck garlic, salt, couple, evoo, tins, heavy cream, butter, freshly ground pepper, egg pasta, pasta, parsley
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/garden-style-straw-and-hay-pasta-with-bagna-cauda-sauce-recipe.html (may not work)