Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Fresh Peas

Especially good made with orecchiette, a small, delicate pasta. Use very slender asparagus and you won’t need to scrape the stalks.

Recipe Ingredients:

8 ounces orecchiette, tri-color rotini, or gemelli
8 ounces slender asparagus
1 cup shelled fresh peas, lightly steamed
1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water, then drain well again.
2. Meanwhile, trim 1/2-inch from the bottoms of the asparagus spears, and cut them into approximately 1 1/2-inch lengths. Steam in a large saucepan with a small amount of water until bright green and crisp-tender, then drain and rinse until cool.
3. Combine the cooked pasta, asparagus, and peas with the remaining ingredients in a large serving bowl. Toss gently but thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until needed, or serve at once.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe provided courtesy of Nava Atlas; www.vegkitchen.com.