Conchiglie & Spring Vegetables with Pork, Cheese, & Bread Crumbs
The first vegetables of spring shine in this light-yet-hearty pasta dish. Any low-moisture, aged hard cheese will work well in the bread crumb topping.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onions sliced thinly
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram or thyme
- 1¼ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup fresh peas thawed frozen peas are fine, too
- Salt
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 16 ounces conchiglie pasta curved tubes
- 5 ounces ground pork
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup coarsely ground homemade bread crumbs
- ¾ cup hard cheese crumbled
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of oil and heat until shimmering. Add spring onions and cook until soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and fresh herbs and cook until fragrant. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, add peas, cover, and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until bright green and just tender. Use a skimmer to remove asparagus from water and set aside. Add conchiglie to water and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with spring onion mixture and asparagus.
- In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Add pork and cook, breaking up, until pork is cooked through and browned all over. Remove pork from skillet, reduce heat to medium, and add butter. Once butter has stopped bubbling, add bread crumbs and cook until crisp and toasted, about 3 minutes.
- Add cooked pork and bread crumbs to pasta and toss. Add about half of the cheese and toss again. Serve topped with the rest of the cheese.
Notes
This recipe is all about allowing the cheese to impart its standout texture and flavor. So be sure to choose a cheese that will wow! We recommend: Bandaged Cheddar by Bleu Mont Dairy; Extra-Aged Asiago by Sartori Company; Rotwii Bärgler, Red Nose by Walo von Mühlenen; Extra Mature Cheddar by Belton Cheese; Wookey Hole Cave Aged Farmhouse Cheddar by Ashley Chase Estate; Smoked Parmesan by Gold Creek Farms; and Bandage Wrapped Cheddar by Fiscalini Cheese Co.
Amy Scheuerman
Amy Scheuerman—culture's former web director—spent eight years in North Carolina where she developed a love of barbecue and biscuits before moving up north to get a degree in nutrition. She now works at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
