Whole Grain Spaghetti with Green Vegetable

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Green Vegetable "Cacio & Pepe" by Andrea Tranchero, Executive Chef – Barilla Australia

Serves 4

Ingredients
340g Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti
100ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
8 leaves Fresh basil, torn
1 zucchini
100g broccoli florettes
4 asparagus, cut in slices
50g baby spinach
100g pecorino romano cheese, grated
Black pepper, fresh minced
Rock salt (for water)

For the sauce:
250g green peas (fresh or frozen)
70ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
Salt

Method
To prepare the sauce: blanch the peas in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, strain and cool down in an ice bath.
In a mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to blitz the peas with the olive oil, strain through a fine sieve. Season to taste and keep aside.
Slice the zucchini into 5cm long strips, remove the seeds and cut in small batons, keep aside.
Meanwhile, bring plenty of water to the boil. When boiling, add 5 grams of rock salt per litre of water, drop pasta in and stir. Cook as per the instructions on the box.
Four minutes before the suggested pasta cooking time, add the zucchini batons and broccoli to the water and cook for 2 mins.

Two minutes before the pasta is ready, drain pasta and vegetables, reserving one ladle of cooking water.
In a large fry pan, combine pasta, vegetables and reserved cooking water, with asparagus and baby spinach and cook together for a minute. Then add pecorino cheese, black pepper, basil and olive oil.
To serve, warm plates in the oven, then pour one quarter of green pea sauce on each plate. Use a ladle to twirl spaghetti into a nest and place on top of pea sauce.
Serve immediately.

World Pasta Day Top Findings

The survey found that, when it comes to Australian's pasta cooking habits:
• 31.1% add olive oil to the pasta cooking water
• 61% add salt to the pasta cooking water
• 72.9% bring water to boil before cooking pasta
• 46.4% combine pasta and sauce as you serve
• 18.9% save some of the pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce
• 5.3% check pasta is cooked by throwing it against the wall
• 29.1% rinse pasta after cooking it

Five Tips For Cooking Perfect Pasta, Every Time

By Andrea Tranchero, Barilla Australia Executive Chef

1. SALTY WATER Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil, you need approx. 7 grams of salt per litre of water. This helps to season the pasta as it cooks. Once boiling, add pasta. Top tip: Have patience and wait until the water is boiling with big bubbles, this is what helps the pasta cook correctly.

2. DON'T WASTE YOUR OLIVE OIL Oil and water don't mix, so adding olive oil to your pasta cooking water is a waste! In fact, adding oil to the cooking water will coat the pasta, making it harder for the sauce and pasta to bind well at the end of the cook. Top tip: Save your olive oil for the end – add a generous amount of oil and grated parmesan cheese to serve.

3. AL DENTE Cook the pasta according to the pasta instructions (there's no need to throw the pasta against the wall to check if its ready!). Simply following packet instructions should result in a perfectly al dente taste - not crunchy, but firm with a little bite. Top tip: Don't rinse your pasta! This washes away the starch which is what makes your sauce silky and helps it combine with the sauce.

4. COMBINE IN THE PAN Just prior to being cooked, transfer your pasta to the sauce to finish off the cooking, adding a spoonful of the cooking water. The heat of the pan will help the pasta take on the delicious flavours of the sauce, and the reserved cooking water will help the pasta and sauce combine. Top tip: Make sure to reserve a spoonful of the pasta water once cooked. The salty water not only adds flavour to the dish, but helps the sauce thicken and adds a delicious creamy texture to the pasta.

5. SERVE IMMEDIATELY Don't let your pasta sit on the kitchen bench. Once cooked, serve and eat immediately while the pasta is hot and glossy