Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Asparagus Can Never Be Asparagi, But It Can Be Delicious


Did you know that word asparagus has no plural? Whether it is one piece or fifty, it's still asparagus; that's too bad, because I really like the word asparagi. I saw this recipe in one of the newspapers I picked up while on the road and made it for dinner tonight. Pretty tasty.

Farfalle with Asparagus, Lemon and Ricotta
Serves 4

THE INGREDIENTS
1 pound farfalle pasta (also known as bow ties)
1 bunch of asparagus
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
¼ cup pasta cooking water
½ cup fresh ricotta
¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil (for sprinkling)

THE PROCESS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over a high heat. Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender but still has some bite.

2. Meanwhile, snap off and discard the tough asparagus ends. Cute the spears on a diagonal into 2-inch pieces.

3. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the red pepper.

4. Dip a heatproof measuring cup into the pasta cooking water. Remove ¼ cup of water. Add the water to the asparagus. Cover the skillet and cook the asparagus for 3 minutes or until bright green. Remove from the heat.

5. Drain the pasta into a colander. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the asparagus mixture and ricotta. Toss well.

6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon rind and juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss again.

7. Sprinkle with grated pecorino romano cheese and give it one final toss before serving.

Enjoy!!

NOTE: After eating this, we decided that we really loved the light taste of the lemon and although we both like spicy food, I thought there was too much red pepper. Ed liked it. The next time I make it, I would reduce the red pepper flakes to one teaspoon instead of two and I might even eliminate the red pepper flakes all together.

It’s such a nice, light way to have pasta and a vegetable and the lemon really makes it seem fresh!


Click HERE for a printable version of the recipe.


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8 comments:

Evil Pixie said...

Yum! I'll have to try the recipe!

Gil said...

Sounds just delicious!

"Can never be...", except in Italian.

http://www.wordreference.com/enit/asparagus

all things bradbury said...

this looks fantastic...i love asparagus....gonna have to try out your recipe...thanks for sharing!

all things bradbury said...

btw....do you make your own ricotta??

The Daily Rant said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Gil!!

Now I can say asparagi anytime I want! :)

Geggie said...

Yes, please. Delicious!

Team Caffee said...

Wow awesome another great recipe. I cannot wait to try this one in the truck! Thanks

Nicolle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.