End of the month recipes.

This page is coming a bit late. Usually at the end of every month it's good to check out your freezer and pantry. You may have some leftover meat, chicken or other frozen ingredients in your freezer that you need to use soon, or something in the pantry that should be used ASAP. You may also have thought of some new dishes, or got new ideas, while cooking as usual during the month. During the last week end of the month, I thought of checking out my kitchen to get some ideas and use whatever was lingering there for a while. Here's what I found:

TORTELLINI PRIMAVERA 

First I have a confession to make: for all the years I've had Italian food, in Italy or in real Italian homes, I was never served any "pasta primavera". It may be the parts of Italy that I visited, or the original provinces my friends came from, but this "primavera" thing never came up. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of pasta with different kinds of vegetables, but they were not called "primavera". I think it's a concept created here in the States simply to differentiate between the "regular" pasta with meat sauce, or simply tomato sauce, and this kind of pasta that comes with different flavorful and colorful vegetables. The proof is that there is no definition or rule to what vegetables you can add to your pasta to make it "primavera". The possibilities are endless. And not only for the veggies. I apply the same "rule" to the pasta: I use any kind of pasta I have on hand. Today is tortellini.

                                                             

After the cold days of winter where I like to make an easy soup "tortellini in brodo", I found in my freezer a 1/3 of a bag of tortellini. So armed with my find, I checked my fridge and came up with some asparagus and carrots. All the ingredients for a delicious and easy meal. Since we were expecting some family, I asked my husband: "We have two possibilities, either a hot dish or a cold dish". Of course he opted for the hot dish. The salad will come later, he suggested. So, hot dish it is. You'll need:

About 3 cups cheese tortellini

1 lb asparagus

2 cups baby carrots or 2 large carrots

2 cups skim milk

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 to 2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

In a 5 qt pot boil water to cook the tortellini. Cut the carrots in 1/2 inch pieces (closer to the size of the tortellini). Chop the asparagus in the same size, a little less than 1 inch. When the water comes to a boil, add the carrots and the tortellini. When they are almost done add the asparagus. In the mean time dissolve the flour in the 2 cups of milk (I use skim milk, pasta and cheese are enough fat in the dish). Pour the milk mixture into a sauce pan and cook over high heat stirring frequently, so you don't get any lumps. When the mixture starts to get thicker, lower the heat and continue cooking until you get the consistency of the regular white sauce. (To check that, your sauce should stick to the back of a wooden spoon when you pass your finger in its middle). Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of grated cheese. Taste the sauce and add some more cheese if it needs. Reserve some cheese. Drain the tortellini and veggies and put them in a bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat. Add the reserved cheese, check the seasoning, and toss again.  Serve immediately. 
NOTE: I usually sautee the veggies in oil until they are barely tender. I cook the pasta until it's tender, then add it to the veggies and toss the whole thing with maybe a cup or less of the cooking pasta water, so that they continue cooking together to enhance the flavors. I don't like it when the pasta "primavera" is made with heavy cream or sauce, I think it kills all freshness in the dish, which is completely contrary to the term "primavera".  This is why when it comes to tortellini I opted for boiling the veggies with the pasta, to avoid adding more fat to the dish.