Pasta with Asparagus

Spring has sprung, so that means asparagus is dirt cheap, and therefore a menu option.  Asparagus is one of those items that I never bother to buy when it’s expensive because, first of all, it’s expensive (duh) and, second of all, it’s just not going to taste very good when it’s out of season.  But in season, the quality improves just as dramatically as the price drops.  It’s one of the many things I love about cooking: can you think of anything else on earth that gets better as it gets cheaper?

 Before I digress into the many joys of discount shopping (which I was raised to believe was a sport), let me get back to asparagus.  Both my husband and I love asparagus, and it’s delicious tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and rolled around in a hot pan until it’s bright green with a few brown crunchy bits.  Cook some chicken or fish, and dinner is served.  But on this particular evening, I didn’t have any protein to go alongside the asparagus.  Instead, I decided to make pasta.

 This is a very basic pasta recipe; you can do it with many other kinds of vegetables (broccoli, snap peas, etc.), and any liquid: I had white wine in my fridge, but you could easily use chicken stock or just a ladle of pasta cooking water.  But I must say, the asparagus was particularly good with the mint (which I happened to have on hand – obviously basil would be great as well), the squeeze of lemon, the blizzard of parmesan cheese.  Next time I make it, I’ll probably throw in some cubes of ricotta salata for a nice hit of salt and a different texture, or even crack an egg into the pasta right before serving, to make a yummy, carbonara-like sauce.  All of that would be nice, but this recipe is perfectly delicious just as it is.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS

1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed

3 Tbsps olive oil, plus some extra to toss with the asparagus

4 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsps mint, coarsely shredded

½ pound pasta

½ cup white wine

¼ cup good Parmesan cheese, grated 

Cook the pasta, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water

Toss the asparagus spears with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Saute the spears in a hot pan – big enough to hold the pasta – until the spears are bright green, with some browned bits.  Remove the asparagus from the pan and coarsely chop into inch-length pieces.  Lower the heat on the pan all the way down.  Add the rest of the olive oil, and sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the wine (or stock, or just cooking water), and cook for a minute until it is bubbling.  Toss with the pasta, asparagus and mint.  Sprinkle cheese on top and serve.

Serves two.