Monday, October 17, 2011

Creamy Fettuccine With Peas & Flowers

1 lb fettuccine
2 cups fresh peas, or thawed frozen peas
6 Tbs creme fraiche
6 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped edible flowers, plus 8 flowers for decoration
 - chive blossoms, sweet peas, nasturtiums, marigold petals, calendula petals,
   sunflower petals or squash petals
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

1) Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water, adding peas 3 minutes before end of cooking time. Drain, and reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
2) Meanwhile, whisk together creme fraiche, cheese and garlic in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, then fold in chopped flowers and chives.
3) Whisk reserved 1/4 cup pasta cooking water into creme fraiche mixture. Add pasta, and toss to coat. Divide pasta among plates, and garnish each serving with a whole edible flower.

Review: I'd been dying to make this recipe, as I had an abundance of marigolds on my deck. However, when I went out to pick them tonight, only 6 were in good condition. That wasn't nearly enough for the whole cup the recipe called for! Regardless, I brought them in, cut off the green bottoms (which contains the seeds), tossed the bottoms in the trash and chopped up the blossoms (including the centers). I ate a petal before adding it to the sauce. Funny enough, marigolds taste EXACTLY like they smell - kind of like a floral, bitter, citrus. It added a nice flavor to the sauce, but I can't imagine using as much as recommended, as it would have been too much of the flavor. Ultimately, this was tasty, easy and a little bit exotic.



Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/creamy-fettuccine-with-peas-and-flowers/

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