Ingredients

For the asparagus and porcini cream

200 g fresh and cleaned asparagus
300 ml filtered water
200 ml vegetable cream (I used oat cream)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
ground nutmeg, to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in about 70 ml cold, filtered water
20 g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes then drained and chopped

For the vegetables

200 g fresh and cleaned asparagus
200 g fresh spinach, cleaned and blanched in boiling water for about 1 minute
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut into halves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste

For the hazelnut and basil coating/filling

half a garlic clove, peeled
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned
2 handfuls of shelled hazelnuts
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

To assemble

250 g kamut or whole wheat lasagna sheets

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Blanch 200 g asparagus in boiling water for 6-7 minutes then drain and set aside. Cook the remaining 200 g asparagus until they’re tender. Drain and set aside. Pour the water, vegetable cream and olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the salt, nutmeg and pepper and keep cooking for a couple of minutes on a low heat. Add the cornstarch to the vegetable cream mixture and keep cooking, stirring constantly, until you reach a fairly thick texture. Remove from the heat and let cool a bit. Combine the 200 g tender asparagus and the cream in the bowl of a mixer and process until smooth. Transfer into a bowl, add the porcini, mix and set aside.
In a pan or wok over medium heat, sauté the remaining blanched asparagus and spinach with the garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt. Remove from the heat.
To make the hazelnut and basil coating, process all the ingredients together in a food processor until the mixture looks grainy. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180° C. Bring plenty filtered water to a boil, add some whole sea salt and cook the lasagne. Drain them and place them on a tray but make sure they don’t stick together. Also, be careful not to break them.
To assemble the lasagne, choose an appropriate baking pan, as you don’t want your lasagne to be too thin or too thick. Oil the bottom of the pan with a little olive oil, then spread some of the asparagus and porcini cream. Arrange the lasagna sheets lengthwise over the cream then spread the lasagne with some of the cream, top with some vegetables (asparagus and spinach) and sprinkle with a little pesto. Repeat layers, and top with remaining cream and pesto. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Take away from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

150 g semi-whole durum wheat orecchiette
1 small bunch of asparagus, cleaned and cut into pieces
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
10-12 baby date tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), cut into quarters
a handful of olives (I used Taggiasca), pitted and roughly chopped
1 small bunch of fresh chives, cleaned and chopped
1 small handful of fresh mint, cleaned and chopped

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil, add some salt and cook the orecchiette and the asparagus until al dente (cooking times vary, but make sure you add the asparagus just 5-7 minutes before the pasta is done). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain again and transfer into a salad bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and let cool. Add the tomatoes, olives, chives and mint (and a little more olive oil if needed), toss and serve cool.

Ingredients

280 g whole wheat linguine
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
half a onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, cleaned and finely chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt
a small head of radicchio, chopped
250 g seitan, minced
a handful of fresh parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, add some salt and cook the linguine. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat then add the onion, carrot and salt and sauté for a few minutes (the carrot should stay crunchy). Add the radicchio and seitan, cook for a few more minutes and turn off the heat. When the linguine are al dente, drain and transfer them in the pan where you cooked the vegetables. Add a little more olive oil if needed, then mix and sauté over medium heat for 30-40 seconds, making sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the parsley and pepper, toss and serve.

Ingredients

180 g whole grain farro medium-short pasta ( I used ‘torchioli’)
water and whole sea salt, just enough to cook the pasta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and more or less finely chopped
1 yellow pepper (stem, core and seeds removed), diced
1 long, medium-hot, sweet red pepper, Italian or Mediterranean (stem, core and seeds removed), diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of chilli powder
1 large handful of capers, soaked in water for 10-20 minutes to remove excess salt
1 handful of fresh parsley leaves, 1 handful of fresh mint leaves, 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and pat dried with a paper towel

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat then add the carrot, peppers, garlic and salt and sauté for a few minutes (the carrot and peppers should stay crunchy). As soon as the water is boiling, add some salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta then put it in the pan where you previously cooked the vegetables. Rinse the capers and add them to the pasta. Sprinkle with the chilli and add a little more olive oil if needed, then  mix and sauté over medium heat for 30-40 seconds, making sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, mint and basil (chopped or whole), toss and serve.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

This pasta is delicious served warm but can be also enjoyed cold as a summer picnic pasta. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6-8 hours.

Ingredients

180 g mezze maniche kamut pasta or other short pasta
water and whole sea salt, just enough to cook the pasta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and more or less finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and more or less finely chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt
8 zucchini flowers, washed, stems and pistils removed, and cut into halves or 4 parts, lengthwise
a pinch of powdered saffron, mixed with 1 tablespoon natural mineral or filtered water
2 handfuls of fresh parsley leaves, washed and pat dried with a paper towel

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat then add the chopped carrot, garlic and salt and sauté for a few minutes (the carrot should stay crunchy). When the water is boiling, add some salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta then put it in the pan where you cooked the carrot and garlic, add the saffron and, if you think it’s necessary, a tiny little more olive oil. Stir in the zucchini flowers and sauté for another few seconds, making sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the parsley leaves (chopped or whole), toss and serve. 

Thoughts, tips and ideas

This pasta is good warm but equally delicious cold, too, so it can be perfect for a summer picnic. You can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6-8 hours.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

300 g kamut short pasta  
1 large cup fresh fava beans
1 large bunch asparagus
1 garlic clove

For the creamed zucchini

3 medium zucchini, peeled and stems removed
a large handful of peeled almonds
a handful of fresh basil
grated zest of 1 lemon 
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of chili powder 
mineral or filtered water (as much as needed to achieve the desired smoothness)

Here’s a pasta dish that is ideal for a mid-week lunch or dinner but also perfect if you have guests around for a special occasion. Being high in protein and having a moderate amount of gluten, farro is tolerated by many people with gluten or wheat intolerances or allergies. It is also easy to digest, thanks to its high water solubility.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

300 g whole farro orecchiette pasta

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and some more to sprinkle before serving)

1 fresh spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped

8-10 large handfuls fresh baby spinach

3 handfuls raisins, soaked in mineral or filtered water for about 30 minutes

10 sun dreid tomatoes, soaked in mineral or filtered water for about 30 minutes

2 handfuls pine nuts

filtered water (to cook the pasta)

whole sea salt (for the pasta water)

chili powder (to taste)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat then gently stir fry the spring onion until golden, adding a little bit of water to moisten the consistency. Add the pine nuts, raisins (drained and dried with a paper towel), and sun dried tomatoes (drained and dried with a paper towel) and stir fry for 1 more minute. When the water is boiling, cook the orecchiette until very al dente. Drain the pasta and combine it with the other ingredients in the non-stick pan. Soak the spinach in the pasta water (it should still be boiling) for a few seconds then drain them and add them to the pan. Sauté everything together for approximately 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and serve, sprinkling with olive oil and seasoning with chili powder to taste.

If you like the rich tastes of autumn, this is the kind of pasta dish you should try. It may sound a bit elaborate to make but if you get organized and follow the steps I’m suggesting here, you’ll realize the recipe is actually very simple. For a more rustic dish, substitute spaghetti with homemade, whole grain pappardelle or tagliatelle.

Ingredients:

280 g organic Kamut spaghetti

For the mushrooms

8 dried shiitake

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons water (the same you used to soak the mushrooms)

2-3 fresh chive sprigs

For the walnut and leek sauce

1 leek

100 g walnuts

4-5 tablespoons plain soy milk (GMO-free)

1 pinch whole sea salt

1 pinch ground white pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Makes 4 servings.

Soak shiitake in water and start preparing the walnut and leek sauce. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil.

Leek and walnut sauce

Bring 2-3 glasses of water to a boil. Clean the leek, cut it into 2-3 cm chunks, and cook it in water until completely tender. Meanwhile, ground the walnuts in a blender or food processor. Add the leek (which you will have drained, if necessary), oil, salt and pepper and blend while pouring a stream of soy milk throught the hole in the blender cap. As soon as the sauce is creamy enough (it should be smooth, so you might need to add some extra milk), stop processing and set aside.

Mushrooms

Once the mushrooms are soft (normally,  20 minutes soaking time is good enough), you can rinse them briefly (keep the soaking water!) and remove the stems. Chop the shiitake, transfer them into a wok and sauté for a few minutes in the olive oil. Add about 4 tablespoons soaking water and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes or until tender, using more water to prevent mushrooms from getting too dry. Remove from heat, sprinkle with some chives and set aside.

Pasta

As soon as the water is boiling, salt it and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, and transfer them into the wok with the mushrooms. Sprinkle with some olive oil, add the leek and walnut sauce and sauté for about 1 minute over medium heat, making sure all the flavours blend together. Garnish with some chives and enjoy.

I like to consider the pasta I’m proposing today as a quite sophisticated but at the same time extremely simple, quick, cheap and delicious main course. This is definitely the sort of recipe that turns out to be useful when there are pastivore guests to satisfy, or when a last-minute meal has to be thrown together. If you’re going to test this recipe and can’t find sedani rigati, just go for another kind of wholemeal short pasta, like penne or rigatoni. I think the delicate nuttiness of the almonds and the sharp lemon flavour both pair exquisitely with the sweetness of the leek and shoyu. For my sedani I used organic lemons, an organic leek, organic shoyu and organic pasta. 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

300 g wholemeal sedani pasta

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 leek, trimmed and finely sliced

½ cup ground almonds

finely grated zest of 3 to 4 lemons

whole sea salt (to taste)

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and shoyu in a large non-stick pan over medium heat then gently stir fry the leek until golden, stirring in a little bit of water at a time to moisten the consistency. In the meantime cook the sedani in plenty of boiling and salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and throw it into the pan where you cooked the leek, add the lemon zest and almonds and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and season with black pepper to taste.