Fettuccine con La Vignarola

Directions

1. Prepare some acidulated water. Fill a bowl with cold water and squeeze the juice of the lemon into the water, then set aside.

2. Peel the fibrous outer leaves from the artichokes. With a paring knife, trim the top of each choke about halfway down the leaf. With a peeler or paring knife, shave the green stem until you see the white core. Cut each artichoke into 8 pieces. Place them in the acidulated water.

3. Shuck the peas and set aside. Shuck the fava beans and set aside. Trim the roots from the onions and thinly slice the spring onion greens and bulbs, then set aside.

4. In a heavy-bottomed pot on high heat, bring water to a boil. Season the water with salt so it tastes like the ocean. Prepare an ice bath. Fill a bowl with ice and water to shock the peas and fava beans.

5. Blanch the peas until tender and bright green, approximately 2 minutes. Remove the peas with a spider or slotted spoon and shock them in the ice water. Once cold, approximately 1 minute, remove the peas and set aside.

6. Repeat the same steps for the fava beans but cook the beans for 3 minutes. If the fava beans are small, you can leave the outer skin on. If they are large, remove the outer skin with your fingers or the tip of a paring knife.

7. Roughly chop the parsley, basil, and mint, then set aside.

8. Bring a fresh pot of water to a boil. Once the water is at a boil, season the water with salt so it tastes like a heavily seasoned soup, not like the ocean.

9. Meanwhile, start the vignarola. In a large skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is warm and shimmering, remove the artichokes from the acidulated water and pat them dry with an absorbent towel.

10. Carefully add the artichokes to the hot pan, creating a single layer. Season the artichokes with a generous pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper. Allow the artichokes to color on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Add the smashed clove of garlic to the oil. Toast the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and aromatic.

12. Next, add the sliced bulbs of the spring onion. Add a pinch of salt to the onion and stir to incorporate. Cook the onion until translucent, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

13. Then add the chopped herbs and the sliced green tops of the spring onion. Stir the herbs into the oil until they are bright green and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.

14. Now drop the fettuccine into the pasta water and stir with a fork or tongs to ensure it doesn’t stick together.

15. While the pasta cooks, finish preparing the sauce. Add the peas and fava beans and stir to incorporate. Add the white wine to the pan and stir to incorporate. Cook the white wine off until almost dry, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and ladle 4 ounces of the pasta water into the vignarola.

16. Once the pasta is cooked to the desired doneness, strain the pasta through a colander, reserving 1 to 2 cups of the water. Add the pasta to the pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Mix the pasta immediately with tongs or long tweezers and give it a few tosses; this will help the starch to thicken the sauce. Cook the pasta, mixing and tossing for 1 to 2 minutes, until it looks glossy.

17. Sprinkle in half the Pecorino Romano and vigorously mix and toss in the pan. If the sauce looks tight, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.

18. Taste the pasta before you go to plate. Plate the fettuccine and garnish with the remaining Pecorino Romano. Serve immediately.