No Bones About It: Lemon-cream sauce is both winter rich and light as spring

If spring has a quintessential flavor, it’s the bright, lively lemon. Even its sunny color speaks spring.

If spring has a temperament, though, it’s a fickle one, and though the lemony sun may be shining a bit more than it did in January, the wind and rain still cry out for comfort food.

That’s where this pasta dish comes in.

The lemon-cream sauce is both winter rich and light as spring. Add broccoli, tomatoes, and another spring favorite, arugula, and you’ve got a one-dish meal that’s satisfying in any season.

Ready in a flash

The lemon-cream sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. The broccoli gets chopped into florets while the pasta starts to cook, and tossed into the water in the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time. The broccoli comes out bright and tender, and best of all, doesn’t require an extra pot.

Super versatile

This recipe scales up or down to feed as many people as you’d like, with little extra prep time. Keep in mind that 2 ounces of pasta feeds one person, and adjust your other ingredients accordingly.

Not a fan of broccoli? Try bite-size pieces of asparagus instead, or skip it and add an extra handful or two of arugula.

The cream sauce can be made lighter or richer by adjusting the milk-to-cream ratio.

If the cherry tomatoes at your grocery store look a little lacking after the long winter, sun-dried tomatoes perk this dish right up. Scoop a cup of water from your pasta pot once it comes to a boil, and use it to soak the tomatoes for a few minutes before chopping.

Lemon Cream Pasta with Broccoli, Arugula and Tomatoes

Based on a recipe from foodnetwork.com

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

2 large crowns broccoli

2 ounces arugula (about 2 cups tightly packed leaves, or 4 handfuls)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, or 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 pound dried penne, fusilli or similar pasta (these shapes hold the cream sauce nicely and pair better with the broccoli pieces than something like spaghetti)

Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

While the water heats, heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add milk, cream, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Slowly add the lemon juice as the milk mixture heats, stirring constantly to keep it from curdling. Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens a bit, about 15 minutes.

When the water boils, add the pasta. (If using dried tomatoes, remove a cup of boiling water at this point to soak them.) Set the timer for three minutes less than the recommended cooking time. Cut broccoli into bite-sized florets. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli to the pasta, and cook three more minutes. Halve the cherry tomatoes, or drain and chop the dried tomatoes.

Drain the pasta and broccoli. Add to the cream sauce and stir in arugula, tomatoes and grated Parmesan. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve with extra Parmesan if desired.

Yield: 4 servings