A new look at Pasta Primavera, with shaved vegetable strips (photo and concept © chef Michael O’Boyle, Chicken Fried Gourmet.

Here’s a refreshing idea from Chef Michael O’Boyle of ChickenFriedGourmet.com: a different perspective on the classic dish, Pasta Primavera.

Instead of cutting the vegetables into coins, matchsticks or other shapes, use your vegetable peeler to create long strips, mirroring the shape of fettuccine.

Not only is it visually appealing, but the way the vegetables mesh with the fettuccine makes it easier to eat your veggies.

Pick three veggies in contrasting colors: carrots, green-skinned zucchini, red bell peppers, violet-colored red cabbage and yellow-skinned summer squash. (When peeled, most of the zucchini and yellow squash will have only white flesh.)

The vegetables should be shaved into 3/8″ strips, or as close as possible to the width of the fettuccine.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions.

2. When the fettuccine is almost finished cooking, quickly steam the vegetables (you can do it in the microwave—check after 15 seconds).

3. In a large bowl, toss the pasta, vegetables and herbs with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve; or allow diners to add their own cheese at the table, as you prefer.

Here’s what Mario Batali serves up at Otto Pizzeria in New York City:

Familiar American Classics

 
*Cacio di Roma is a sheep’s milk cheese produced in Rome. It is often compared to Pecorino Romano, a more famous sheep’s milk cheese from the same region. Cacio is aged for only four weeks and is softer, with a better balance of salt and cream. It as an excellent depth of flavor despite its youth, and is popularly served as a simple pasta with cracked pepper. Pecorino Romano is aged for at least 6 months and is much saltier.

†Prosciutto (pro-SHOO-toe) is the Italian word for ham, used in English to refer to dry-cured ham (prosciutto crudo). A regular cured ham—what Americans refer to as “ham,” in Italian is prosciutto cotto, cooked ham. Parma ham is prosciutto produced in the Parma Protected Designation of Origin area. Serrano ham, or jamón serrano (serrano means sierra or mountain) is a dry-cured Spanish ham, similar to prosciutto: both are covered with salt and then hung to dry. Since prosciutto is cured for 2 years and serrano for just 6 to 18 months, prosciutto is generally a drier product.
 
Italian Twists

 
New Ideas

 
Find more of our favorite gourmet pizza recipes.

So instead of adding a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to flavor your vinagrette, try a ground nuts. Pistachio is delicious, as are pecan and walnut. But play with whatever you have on hand.

If the recipe below is not nutty enough for you, add more by the teaspoonful until you reach your desired nuttiness (test the vinaigrette by dipping some lettuce into it, rather than tasting off the spoon).

Use this ratio to start, whisking together:

 
Dress your favorite greens or other vegetables. You can still toss some whole or chopped nuts onto the salad for even more flavor and texture.

There is nothing more delicious in a vinaigrette than a fine nut oil. Walnut oil is a staple of our vinaigrettes and one of our favorite easy salad courses, mixed baby greens with a circle of goat cheese and a garnish of beets (try matchsticks or whole baby beets—don’t use pickled beets as the pickling liquid will clash with the dressing).

We typically buy nut oils from La Tourangelle, a California company that is reliably excellent (it was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week—read the review). Give a can as a gift to a fellow food lover.

Once you open the container, keep it in the fridge. You’ll need to let it come to room temperature going forward (quick trick: put the bottle in a container of hot water), but it helps to keep the oil fresh.

Another suggestion: When you first start to use nut oil, use 2 tablespoons plus one tablespoon olive oil in the vinaigrette ratio. Some people prefer a milder nut taste.

Salad is about to taste a whole lot better!

Find more of our favorite oils and salad dressings.