Easy
   Gourmet Dinners

Warm Spring Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken   

          Preparation and cooking time:  30 minutes
     I have always disagreed with most 'Pasta Primavera' as they are meant to celebrate spring but insist on using summer vegetables: tomatoes and peppers.  This is my version, using only spring vegetables.

4oz green asparagus          112gr, 4oz
4oz snow peas, mangetout, pea pods         112gr, 4oz
1/2  - 3/4 cup fava beans    you'll need about 1lb (500gr) of pods to start with    substitute edamame         125gr, 4.4oz
4 green garlic or onion, sliced, including tops       48gr, 1.7oz
1 tbs oil        13.5gr, .48oz
2 tbs fresh, snipped chives
1 1/4 cups farfalle pasta        110gr, 3.9oz

     Vinaigrette
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard        15gr, .53oz
1 1/2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar        24gr, .85oz
4 tbs good olive oil        54gr, 1.9oz

Grilled Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts        350gr, 12.3oz

     Marinade
1 tbs red wine vinegar        15gr, .53oz
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce        17gr, .59oz
2 tbs olive oil        27gr, .96oz

Cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain well.
Mix marinade and pour over chicken.  Let marinate for 15 - 30 minutes.
Heat a sauce pan of water to boiling.  Roll cut the asparagus into 1" (2.5cm) lengths.  Trim the snow peas.  Remove fava beans from the pods.
Blanch vegetables, one type at a time, in boiling water: asparagus for 3 minutes, snow peas for 2 minutes and fava beans for 2 minutes.  Remove each from water and put into cold water.  Shell fava beans (see notes).
Cook chicken on barbecue grill, 10 - 15 minutes, or until done or can be sautéed in skillet for about the same amount of time.  Remove and slice.
Whisk together mustard and vinegar.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly.

To Assemble: Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add green garlic or onion, asparagus and  snow peas.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until hot and starting to brown.  Add drained pasta and toss to heat through.  Put into a large bowl, add fava beans, chives and sliced chicken.  Pour vinaigrette over and toss well to combine. Serve.

Notes: 

Roll cut:   cut the end off at an angle, roll 1/4 turn and slice at the same angle, roll 1/4 and slice, etc.  This gives you interesting looking pieces with lots of surface.  It's normally used on round vegetables: carrots, asparagus, etc.

Peel fava beans:    they peel like peas, break open the pod and take the beans out.  Don't bother with any really tiny ones. 
                   After blanching they will have a whitish outer shell.  Just squeeze lightly and the inner, bright green bean will pop out.  It may split in half... that's okay.

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Nutrition Information               Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:  1740 / 870 Total Carbohydrates:  120 / 60           Dietary Fiber: 20 / 10 Total Fat:  98 / 49          Saturated Fat: 14 / 7 Cholesterol:  224 / 112 Protein:  105 / 52.5 Calcium:  648 / 324 Sodium:   766 / 383

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Note:  Nutrition info assumes 50% of marinade is eaten.

Measurements in this color are actual measurements used for calculation.  If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale
and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/