New and Refreshing Recipes To Try This Spring

March 27, 2024

Spinach and Green P ea Empanadas

Ingredients

Dough

1½ cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or lard
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
3¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting on dough

Filling

10 ounces spinach, stemmed
½ cup shelled fava beans or thawed frozen lima beans
¼ pound green beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Time

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 32 servings

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the water, salt, butter and paprika and bring to a boil. Pour the mix into a large bowl; let cool to room temperature. Stir in the 3¾ cups of flour until the dough forms. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough until smooth; wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

In a saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the spinach for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green, around 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fava beans to a plate. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until tender, around 4 minutes; drain and finely chop the green beans. Peel the outer skins from the fava beans. Squeeze the excess water from the spinach, then coarsely chop it.

In a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until softened, around 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, around 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach, fava beans, green beans and peas and cook, stirring, until heated through, around 2 minutes. Stir in the mint and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough ⅛-inch thick. Using a 3½-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 32 rounds from the dough. Moisten the edge of 1 dough round with water. Mound 1 tablespoon of the vegetable filling on half of the round and fold the other side over. Press to seal the dough; pinch at intervals to make pleats. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling.

Arrange the empanadas on the prepared baking sheets and bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 30 minutes, until browned. Serve the empanadas warm or at room temperature.

Pasta al Limone

Ingredients

1lemon
12 ounces spaghetti or similar pasta
Kosher salt
¾ cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces finely grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup)
Freshly ground black pepper

Time

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Directions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove two 2-inch-long strips of zest from 1 lemon. Thinly slice each strip lengthwise into thin strands; set aside for serving. Finely grate remaining lemon zest into a large pot. Cut zested lemon in half and squeeze out enough fresh lemon juice to yield 2 tablespoons into a small bowl; set aside.

Cook spaghetti in another large pot of boiling, heavily salted water according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce).

Add ¾ cup of heavy cream to the pot with the lemon zest and cook over medium heat, whisking often, until the liquid is just beginning to simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter until melted and the sauce is creamy. Remove from the heat.

Just before the pasta is al dente, scoop out 1½ cups of pasta water. Add ¾ cup of pasta water to the cream sauce and return to medium heat. Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti to the pot with sauce. Cook the pasta, tossing often and adding 3 ounces of finely grated Parmesan, around ¾ cup, little by little, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy, around 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved lemon juice. If the sauce looks tight, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more pasta water. Season with more salt, if needed.

Divide pasta among bowls. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then garnish with the reserved lemon zest strips.

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