Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add salt. Add asparagus to water and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli and cook for another minute. Add zucchini and cook for 30 seconds. Add peas and cook for 30 seconds (if peas are frozen, add them at the same time as the zucchini and cook both for 1 minute). Drain vegetables and soak immediately in ice water bowl.
When vegetables have chilled, drain them and set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil and add a pinch of salt. In a flame-proof casserole, heat half of the butter and cook mushrooms over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add Spicy Pepper Rub and tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes and then shut flame.
In a separate skillet, heat the remaining butter over medium heat, toss in garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables and cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Add pasta into boiling water and cook to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, add cream to mushroom and tomato mixture, raise flame to low and simmer. Add basil and salt and additional Spicy Pepper Rub to taste. Drain pasta and toss into creamy tomato-mushroom sauce until coated. Toss in drained vegetables, mix well, and serve with parmesan cheese. |
