Spring Orecchiette with Burrata

Source: feastingathome.com

“I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”

~Pablo Neruda

Spring Orecchiette Pasta with asparagus, mushrooms, peas and fresh herbs in a light carbonara sauce with dollops of creamy Burrata cheese.

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 8-12 mushrooms of choice, quartered or sliced
• 2 cups of wilting greens (arugula, dandelion, chard, or spinach) chopped
• Generous pinch salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 2 eggs, whisked
• ½ cup parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 1 ball of burrata cheese (optional)
• Zest of one lemon
• ¼-1/2 cup of fresh herbs (any combo) such as mint, basil, dill, Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot with 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta and cook to al dente, about 7 minutes ( or see directions on package). During the last minute of cooking the pasta, add the fresh peas, sugar peas and asparagus tips to the boiling pasta, turn the heat up to high and quickly blanch for one minute. Drain the pasta and veggies (reserving 1-2 cups hot pasta water). Do not rinse. Return to the pot, turn heat off.
2. While the pasta is cooking, saute the mushrooms: In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion until tender and fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and saute until golden and tender 7-8 minutes.  Add a pinch of  salt and pepper. Add greens and sauté, stirring often until just wilted. Set pan aside.
3. Whisk two eggs in a small bowl, set aside.
4. Once the pasta is drained and back in the pot,  gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons of the reserved hot pasta water, one tablespoon at a time into the eggs, to temper the eggs (to warm them up gently- so they don’t curdle). Stir well.
5. Pour tempered eggs over the pasta and with a big wood spoon, gently stir to coat the pasta. Stir in the mushrooms, half of the lemon zest and half of the fresh the herbs, cracked pepper and parmesan, adding more hot pasta water as needed to loosen the pasta,  and make it  “saucy”.  You don’t want this dry and adding 1 cup or more is recommended.
6. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
7. Arrange on a platter or bowl and sprinkle with remaining herbs, lemon zest. Dot with dollops of burrata cheese and serve immediately.