Purple podded peas punctuate pasta primavera

(Purple Podded Peas maintain their rich color in this pasta dish)

Good things are happening in the garden — snap peas are ready, strawberries are ripening, radishes are yielding, tiny beets are being thinned and the garlic scapes are performing their annual swan-like dance — all good things that inspire many a meal.

(Garlic scapes and radish roses are sure signs of the spring garden yield)

Then there are the farmers markets adding to the bounty of the season: I bought local asparagus and broccoli rabe Friday afternoon, vegetables I don't have growing in my own garden. Nothing tops composing a meal with goods that are fresh in season and only minutes from garden bed to dining plate.

(Purple pods, purple flowers, these peas are a portrait of beauty in the garden)

I am smitten with the Purple Podded Peas I purchased from the Hudson Valley Seed Library this season. Picked young, the pods, which are a deep, midnight hue, are tender and crisp. They are great eaten raw, in salads or briefly sauteed to add to pasta dishes, rice and stir-frys.



"Purple pods are simple to spot and perfect to pick," is how the seed library Web site describes them.

And because we, here in the Hudson Valley, are celebrating our Dutch settlers this quadricentennial year, the purple pods fit right in with the festivities: they were one of the many seeds the Dutch took along with them on their long journey.

"Brought to New York by the Dutch, these soup peas are also known as 'Capucijners' and 'Blauwschokkers' after the Capuchin Monks who developed the strain during medieval times," according to the seed library Web site.

They are multi-faceted jewels, tasty when eaten young along with their shoots and flowers. Traditionally, the peas were allowed to mature and dry to be used by the Dutch as a stock pea for soups in winter. What a versatile little legume!



What an awesome plant. Its flowers are poetic in their dual tones of lavender and violet, perfect as a salad topper.

It was a no-brainer I was going to use these beauties in a recipe for dinner, wondering just how their color would hold up in the cooking process.



I figured the peas would pair well with garlic scapes and spinach, which are abundant now.

Adding pasta to the equation, I decided to make a fresh pasta primavera dish, one of the most satisfying and simplest meals to make.

I scored some of the first tomatoes of the season from the Wild Hive Farm Bakery Cafe in Clinton Corners Sunday morning after stopping in for breakfast. Organic tomatoes from McEnroe Farm were a welcome sight, making me drool at the thought of a fresh tomato salad to go with the pasta dish.



A side of fresh broccoli rabe was in order, too, a standby when it comes to hearty Italian cuisine. The beautiful bunch of broccoli rabe I bought from the Poughkeepsie Farm Project at the market Friday was more leafy with less florets, but the taste was superb.

You can use anything you've got to make this pasta dish — how can you miss with fresh produce in season?

Springtime Pasta Primavera with Purple Podded Peas

Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it and add 1/2 pound spinach fettuccine while preparing the veggies.

For the vegetables:

• Start with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
• Sautee 5 or 6 young garlic scapes that have been chopped.
• Add a handful of fresh snow peas.
• Let the veggies mix together and get to know one another before adding a handful of fresh spinach leaves.
• Mix well.
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Add a little veggie broth or a splash of white wine and reduce a bit.
• Add the pasta to the vegetable mixture with a little bit of the pasta water if needed. Mix well.

Serve with a hefty grating of Parmesan and some of the pretty pea flowers for garnish.

Raise a glass of wine and enjoy a meal that is good for your body and soul.