Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

The James Beard awards were just announced, and Arizonans were excited to hear that Charleen Badman of FnB restaurant in Phoenix was named "Best Chef - Southwest".  FnB has been on my list of restaurants to try for several years but I haven't made it there yet, and I suspect reservations are going to be pretty hard to come by for a while.  I was looking at a sample menu on their website in anticipation and one entry made me pause: "pasta, carrots, marjoram, goat cheese, crispy prosciutto".  What?  Pasta and carrots?  Never heard of that particular combination. Chef Badman is known as "the vegetable whisperer" because of her delicious and innovative use of vegetables, so I decided I needed to investigate further.  I did some research online and came up with a recipe that sounds similar even though I haven't actually seen Chef Badman's creation.

I tweaked the recipe by adding sauted cabbage to underscore the carrot's natural sweetness, and added a bunch of fresh herbs from my garden for flavor.  The carrots, pasta, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto work together wonderfully well in terms of contrasting flavors and textures.  You could leave the prosciutto out if you want it to be vegetarian, but it really does add a lot in terms of flavor and texture.

If possible, don't use a box grater to shred the carrots and cabbage because you end up with short shreds that don't work as well with the spaghetti - longer shreds are easier to twirl together with the pasta.  You can buy bags of shredded carrots at the store that are longer, and it's easy to make your own long shreds of cabbage by buying a head of cabbage and thinly cutting it with a sharp knife.

I was really pleased with this recipe and decided to call it a spring pasta because it's light, healthy and full of fresh herbs but it would be great any time of the year.

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Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

Serves 4

Note: long shreds of carrot and cabbage work well here because they mimic the shape of the spaghetti and are easy to twirl with the pasta.  You can buy bags of long shreds of carrots at the store, and you can make your own long shreds of cabbage by thinly cutting a head of cabbage with a knife. 

1 lb spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 slices prosciutto, chopped into ½” strips

¼ medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cups shredded carrots (preferably long shreds)

2 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably long shreds)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, dill (or a mix) plus a few more for garnish

3 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt.  Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook the prosciuttos until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  (Do not drain the olive oil from the skillet.)

In the same skillet, sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cabbage and a pinch of salt and stir often until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and another pinch of salt and cook for an additional five minutes until tender but not mushy.  Stir in the caraway seeds and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the pot and toss well with tongs to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it looks a little dry.  Add the herbs and toss again, then divide immediately between shallow bowls.  Top with the crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, and extra herbs for garnish.

Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Strips

This vegetarian taco salad comes together very quickly since the only thing that's actually cooked is the tortilla strip garnish.  While they bake you whip up an avocado dressing and chop up some onion, tomatoes, cheddar and jalapeno and you're good to go.  It's a filling main dish salad for those days you want to go vegetarian, but of course you could add chicken or any leftover meat if you want.  My favorite part of the salad and the thing that sets it apart from most taco salads is the homemade tortilla strip garnish (aka "crunchies").  They're very dramatic, easy to make, and irresistible as a snack.

You simply slice up a few corn tortillas, spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle with chili powder (or any other favorite seasoning) and salt, then bake for 12-13 minutes until crunchy.  Be sure to make extras because about half get eaten as snacks before they ever make it to the salads.

If you wanted to make this salad even easier you could substitute a store-bought southwestern ranch dressing.  In that case you might think about adding sliced avocado to the salad.  Or not. That's the great part about homemade salads, it's totally up to you.

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Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Strips

Serves 4

tortilla strips:

3 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Chili powder

Salt

lime avocado dressing:

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 limes, juiced

1 avocado

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch of salt and pepper

salad:

12 cups salad greens

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (assorted colors are nice)

1 cup black beans

Chili powder

Salt

1 cup fresh cooked (or frozen thawed) sweet corn

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 cup ½” cubes white cheddar cheese

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tortillas into 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick strips. Place them on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. (Watch closely during the last few minutes, they can burn quickly.)  Cool.

While the tortillas are baking, make the dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and season as desired.  If you want a thinner dressing, add a little water or milk.

Add chili powder and salt to taste to the black beans and toss to combine.

To build the salads, divide greens between 4 plates.  Add piles of tortilla strips, black beans, tomatoes, onion, cheddar cheese, and jalapeno slices.  Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with cilantro.