SPRING VEGETABLE PASTA WITH HORSESHOE RANCH POACHED EGGS

There is nothing more beautiful than the first veggies of spring.

On the farm, we are typically so busy planting and planting this time of year, that the thought of cooking, let alone putting together a recipe, has felt out of the question. But after a day of picking sugar snaps and zucchini and then weeding the onion field for a few hours, a massive bowl of pasta with crunchy green veggies and the creamy, bright yolk of a Horse Shoe Ranch egg sounded like something I needed immediately.

Lucky for me (and you) this recipe whips up super fast and will give you plenty of left overs depending on how hungry you are! One of my favorite things about this recipe is, all I have to do is pull everything out, chop the veggies, boil the water, and in one fell swoop we've got a pile of spring goodness on our plates.

If poaching your eggs feels like a little too much work, feel free to fry them sunny-side-up! Whichever method you choose, I highly recommend doing something to keep that yolk a bit runny. It makes the most amazing "sauce" mixed into the pasta and cheese. You really will miss it if you omit it!

SPRING VEGETABLES WITH PASTA & POACHED HORSE SHOE RANCH EGGS

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 lb pasta of choice (we used spaghetti)
• 1 pint sugar snap peas, tops removed if desired
• 3/4 - 1 lb zucchini, chopped
• 3 cups chopped kale, stalks removed (I used about 6 big leaves)
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese, 1 ½ cup reserved for tossing into pasta, 1/2 cup reserved for topping when serving
•  Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 Horseshoe Ranch eggs

PREPARATION
PREPARATION

1. Begin boiling a pot of water for your pasta. 
2. If you are poaching eggs, feel free to set up your pot with water for poaching and set it aside on the stove for use later. 
3. Clean all your veggies.
4. Chop and prepare veggies as listed above and set aside.

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1. Measure out your white wine, butter and parm and set aside.
2. In a deep skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and then add your zucchini when oil is just starting to shimmer.
3. Sauté zucchini for about 1 minute and then add the sugar snap peas.
4. Sprinkle with a little salt and continue to sauté until zucchini is just beginning to soften.
5. If your water has begun to boil, salt your water well and cook the pasta accordingly.
   
6. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining pasta after it is cooked al dente and set aside in a large bowl.
7. Add minced garlic and kale to your veggies and stir around for about 15-20 seconds or so.
8. Next add the white wine and stir for about 30 seconds or so, to burn off the alcohol. 
9. Remove your pan from the heat.
10. Drain your pasta, if you have not already and transfer to a large serving bowl or mixing bowl (it doesn't have to be fancy!) 
11. In your large bowl, toss your pasta in with your veggies and add 1 cup of parmesan cheese plus the 3 tablespoons of butter. Toss until butter has melted and add back some of the reserved pasta water to create a bit of a sauce that will help hold the cheese to the pasta.
12. Poach your eggs! Note: I feel everyone has a specific way they like to poach eggs. This is my favorite method, but poach however you would like! You can also simply fry your eggs so that they have runny yolks. Just make sure you've got a runny yolk because it really takes the pasta up a notch! 
13. Toss in your chopped herbs, serve with additional parmesan and crack some fresh pepper on top.
14. Top with your egg and enjoy!