Spring Lemon, Herb & Ricotta Pasta

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups packed arugula leaves

• 1 cup packed parsley leaves (from about 1/2 bunch)

• 1 cup packed basil leaves (I find that an entire Gotham Greens 1.25oz clamshell of basil is the perfect amount here)

• 1/2 cup packed mint leaves (from about 1/2 bunch)

• Juice and zest from 2 lemons

• 2 garlic cloves*

• 1/3 cup pine nuts

• 1 cup ricotta cheese (I love Bellwether farms if you can find it)

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Kosher salt

• 1 lb dried pasta (short pasta shapes work best with this sauce - I like using rigatoni)

• 2 Tbsp butter

METHOD

1. Blanch the arugula and herbs in salted boiling water for about 10 seconds, then remove and submerge in an ice water bath to cool immediately. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all of the excess water. Set aside.

2. Add your pasta to generously salted, boiling water and stir to prevent sticking. About 5 minutes into cooking, remove about 2 cups of pasta cooking water and set aside.

3. While the pasta finishes cooking, make the sauce. Add the blanched and cooled arugula and herbs, lemon zest and juice, garlic, pine nuts, ricotta and olive oil to a blender and blend until smooth. With the blender running on low, stream in about 1/2-3/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and blend until you have a smooth, emulsified, bright green sauce.

4. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and fold in the parmesan cheese, along with kosher salt to taste. Set aside.

5. Once the pasta has reached al dente, drain it and return it to the pot with the heat turned off**. Stir in the sauce, along with the butter and some additional grated parmesan cheese. You’re looking for the sauce to be creamy and to coat the pasta nicely without being too thick, so add more reserved pasta water as needed.

6. Serve immediately and finish with some more freshly grated parmesan cheese, torn herbs and/or edible flowers if you’re feeling fancy. Enjoy!

NOTES

• *If you have access to a farmers market, you can substitute the white and light green parts of 2 stalks of green garlic for the garlic cloves. I also added a few sprigs of garlic chives that I found at the market! This is a flexible sauce, so feel free to substitute different herbs or use more of one herb if you prefer (for example, if you aren’t a fan of mint, omit it and add an additional ½ cup of another herb).

• **Turning the heat off is important — it helps preserve that nice bright green color!