Fusilli with vignarola, speck, and smoked ricotta is my personalized recipe, inspired by the original pasta alla vignarola recipe.
Vignarola is a typical Lazio recipe containing spring vegetables: peas, fava beans, late-season artichokes, scallions, and I also added asparagus.
They can be a rich side dish or used to dress pasta; in Rome, pancetta and pecorino are added to pasta alla vignarola.
In my version, I enriched the dish with speck sticks sautéed in a non-stick pan and a sprinkle of smoked ricotta before serving.
Fusilli with vignarola, speck, and smoked ricotta is a colorful dish, rich in flavor, and the smoky touch pairs perfectly with the vegetables.
A typically spring dish, but if you stock up on seasonal vegetables in the freezer like I do, you can enjoy it anytime.
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, All Seasons
Ingredients
- 160 g fusilli
- 2 artichokes
- 100 g asparagus
- 80 g shelled peas
- 80 g shelled and peeled fava beans
- 1 fresh Tropea scallion
- 100 g speck sticks
- to taste smoked ricotta for grating
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste pepper
Steps
To prepare the dish, start by cleaning all the vegetables.
Remove the outer leaves and stem from the artichokes, cut the hearts into quarters, and soak them in water with lemon to prevent browning.
Break off the tough stem from the asparagus and cut into small pieces.
Shell the peas and fava beans, also removing the skin from the latter.
Once the vegetables are cleaned, slice the fresh scallion into rings, separate the rings as much as possible, and sauté the scallion in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.
When the scallion is softened, add the artichokes, and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Add the asparagus, cook for another 3-4 minutes before adding the peas, and lastly, the fava beans.
Add a glass of hot water and season with salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
Once the vegetables are cooked, boil water for the pasta and sauté the speck sticks in a dry pan to make them crispy.
Drain and toss the pasta with the vegetables, plate it, add the speck sticks, and grate some smoked ricotta on top using a julienne grater.
Fusilli with vignarola, speck, and smoked ricotta is a main course that is quick to prepare, an intriguing dish to delight your dearest friends.
