As a fourth generation professional chef, San Francisco’s Joanne Weir has always thrived in the kitchen. Her great-grandmother operated Pilgrim’s Pantry in Boston at the turn of the century, and passed her unmatched enthusiasm for food down to her grandfather and to her mother, a professional chef and caterer. Joanne kept the family tradition alive and began her career with force: she spent five years cooking with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and studied with Madeleine Kamman in France, where she was awarded a Master Chef Diploma with honors. (#girlboss!)
Today, Joanne is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and judge, international cooking teacher, and television personality. Her PBS series, “Joanne Weir Gets Fresh,” was renewed for a second season in January, and has become one of our favorite resources for new recipes. (That, and her most recent cookbook — Kitchen Gypsy, Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food — which is used often enough that we’re starting to feel like Joanne is an old friend.)
Today, Joanne shares her recipe for Buckwheat Linguine. Now, the only thing left to figure out for dinner is what bottle of wine to open!
BUCKWHEAT LINGUINE with Chanterelles, Peas and Asparagus
(Serves 4-6)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound fresh chanterelles or other wild or common mushrooms
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends removed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup shelled fresh English peas
3/4 cup crème fraîche
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 pound dry linguine
DIRECTIONS:
To make the sauce, trim off the stem ends of the mushrooms, and cut the mushrooms in half. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms and shallots begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and stock and simmer until the asparagus is almost tender and the stock has reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the peas and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crème fraîche and thyme, stir well, and heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta, stir well, and cook until al dente, 9 to 12 minutes or according to the directions on the package.
Drain the pasta, add it to the frying pan, and toss and stir with the sauce, mixing well. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and top with the parsley.
