Spring Pasta
By: Kitch-N-Chik
Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 8:38pm

Ingredients




4 smalls eggplant - (to 6)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pound fresh or frozen peas
6 spring onions thinly sliced
cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped sage
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 garlic clove minced
Coarse salt to taste
1 bn arugula trimmed
1 pound dry fettuccine
2 tablespoons chopped chervil
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup ricotta cheese - (to 1 ½ cups)
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1 Prick eggplant several times with the tip of a knife. Place eggplant in a parchment-lined bamboo steamer set over boiling water, and steam until tender, about 10 minutes. 2 Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peas, and season with salt. Cook, covered, for 2 minutes. Remove to a small bowl. 3 In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add spring onions, parsley, sage, chives, garlic, cooked peas, salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Cook, covered, until onions are bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss in arugula. 4 Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain pasta, and serve topped with pea mixture. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chervil and 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 5 Remove eggplant from steamer, and cut lengthwise almost in half. Top each eggplant with 1/4 cup ricotta cheese; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and remaining tablespoon chervil. 6 Serves 4 to 6.