Herbed angel hair with green garlic

One of the benefits of living in Portland is having access to an array of farmers markets—we have one in almost every section of the city! And as spring trickles in slowly, so do interesting products at the market. Green garlic is one item that has appeared recently. While it may look like a bundle of scallions, the fresh herb is all garlic. Cook them as you would a leek or shallot by slicing them thin crosswise, or get creative and shave them into pasta or with other shaved vegetables (like asparagus). If you can’t find green garlic, regular garlic can be substituted—just use one minced clove and cook it about two minutes longer than the recipe states.

This pasta dish is simple enough to serve as a side dish next to vegetables or a protein, but has enough of its own flavor to stand on its own as a light herby lunch. I used fresh cappellini (also known as angel hair), but dried pasta would work just as well.

 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of angel hair or  cappellini pasta, fresh or dried
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 stalks of green garlic, chopped crosswise
• 1/4 cup of chopped mixed herbs (such as chives, parsley, mint or basil)
• 1/4 cup Parmegiano-Reggiano, grated

 

Preparation

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Place a small or medium skillet over medium-low heat. When the skillet is hot, drop in the butter and swirl with a spatula. When the butter begins to melt, about three minutes, add the green garlic and toss. Let the garlic cook for another minute, then add in the rest of the herbs. Bring the skillet to a low heat.

 Once you’ve brought the skillet to low heat, add the pasta to the saucepan of boiling water. Cook for 6–10 minutes, watching carefully since thin pasta cooks rather quickly.

After pasta is cooked and drained, toss with the herb butter and dust with the grated Parmesan. Serves 1–2 people.