Pasta with Asparagus-Lemon Sauce               

 tags (edit): @Vogel @Try Soon! Easy Pasta Main Dish  

 

There's nothing quite so wonderful as an incredibly simple recipe -- in this case, just five easy pieces that come together magically to deliver a dish that's much more than the sum of its parts. This meal-in-a-bowl dish is so easy that you'll make it long after your local asparagus season has come and gone -- thought it's also the perfect way to welcome the new crop. Faith Willinger uses penne for this dish, but Zanne Stewart tried it with mafalde, a sort of skinny lasagna noodle, and liked it very much.

Ingredients

1 pound Fresh Asparagus Tough Ends Trimmed
to taste Salt
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest Finely Grated
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound Penne Or Mafalde Or Other Pasta
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Grated
to taste Freshly-Ground Black Pepper


 

Instructions
 1. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces, reserving the tips separately. Cook the asparagus stems in 5 to 6 quarts of boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt and cook until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving the cooking water in the pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain the asparagus well and transfer to a food processor or blender.

2. Cook the asparagus tips in the same boiling water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the colander, reserving the boiling water in the pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain the tips well.

3. Puree the asparagus stems with the lemon zest, oil, and 1/2 cup of the asparagus cooking water. Transfer to a large saucepan.

4. Cook the pasta in the boiling asparagus cooking water until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three-fourths of the recommended cooking time on the package. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

5. Add the pasta, asparagus tips, and 1/2 cup of the reserved water to the asparagus sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pasta is almost al dente and the sauce coats the pasta. Add more cooking water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the sauce coast the pasta but is a little loose (the cheese will thicken it slightly).

6. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.


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Yields: 4 Servings
     BEST AMERICAN RECIPES, 2001-2002, page 110

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