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A spiced creamy carrot sauce gets tossed with pasta and peas in this simple dish.

"The leftover carrot and herb drizzle is great on sandwiches or any grilled or roasted vegetable or protein," Rach says.

Ingredients

  • About 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 1 pound organic carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch on bias (or 1 bunch)
  • Salt and fine ground black pepper, or 1 scant teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric, ⅓ palmful
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ⅓ palmful
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, grated or chopped
  • About 2 teaspoons orange or lemon zest
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 pound penne, semolina or gluten-free corn penne, or other short cut pasta, such as conchiglie (shells), farfalle (ties), or short fusilli
  • 1 cup shelled fresh peas
  • Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to pass
To serve:
  • Upland cress
  • Edible flowers
  • Toasted pine nuts (optional)
For the carrot top & herb drizzle (optional):
  • 1 cup lacy carrot tops, a handful
  • One handful mint
  • 1 fat clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (⅓ palmful) or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded
  • About 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • About ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Salt, to taste

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

Heat a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.

Heat a large heavy skillet/pan with a lid over medium to medium-high heat with olive oil or butter. When hot, add carrots and season with salt and pepper or white pepper, turmeric, coriander, partially cover and sweat the carrots 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and citrus zest, stir, add wine and let it absorb, add stock and reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes more. Transfer to a food processor or high power blender and puree, add back to pan to keep warm, covered.

For the drizzle, if using, rinse processor or blender and return to base. Combine the carrot tops, mint, garlic, red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeño pepper and lemon juice in the food processor bowl or blender, pulse several times, then stream in the EVOO. Season sauce with salt to taste.  

Salt pasta water and add pasta, cook 6 minutes, then add peas and cook 1-2 minutes more. Reserve about ½ cup starchy water, drain pasta and peas, add to carrot sauce with starchy water and stir to coat pasta. Adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, top pasta with some green sauce, if using, and/or cress, flowers and pine nuts.