Delicious Bowtie Pasta w/ Asparagus & More!
04-14-2015
Author: Blog Editor in Diet for a Tiny House
Pasta Night in the RV!
It’s spring, spring, spring! And the markets are filled with asparagus, asparagus, asparagus, the spring vegetable. Now’s the time to cook with this delicate plant, Nick’s favorite vegetable, and have I got a great recipe for you!
But first, a bit of history. Did you know (according to Wikipedia) that asparagus was not cultivated in the US until 1850? That is amazing, since it was popular in Europe for 400 years earlier and was enjoyed as long as 3000 years ago in Egypt. Don’t buy it canned, don’t buy it frozen. Both are guaranteed to be disasters. You can only buy it fresh, now, when it’s in season. And you need to cook it fast, to a perfectly crisp-tender state of bright green perfection.
This bowtie pasta w/ asparagus recipe, adapted from the new book The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen (currently for sale at Costco and worth every penny) will explain how to cook asparagus perfectly, even in your tiny house on wheels, assuming you have a stovetop to boil water and a slotted spoon.
Bowtie Pasta with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon-Basil Dressing
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
----------------
- 1 bunch of asparagus. Trim off the lower third of the stems and cut the rest into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
Instructions
----------------
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. As it is coming to a boil, fill a large bowl with ice water -- if you don’t have ice cubes, just use the coldest water you can find. Set aside.
When water is boiling drop in asparagus and time it for precisely 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, test a piece at exactly 2 minutes by removing it from the pot and dropping into the ice water. If it’s still a little woody, drop it back into the pot for another 30 seconds. If it’s al dente crisp but tender, it’s done. Use slotted spoon to quickly remove all the asparagus to the ice water bath. This stops the cooking process immediately. You don’t want to overcook asparagus.
Keep the pot of water boiling now and add the pasta. Cook until noodles are al dente, or till desired tenderness.
Remove the now-cooled asparagus from the ice water and put into a large salad bowl.
Use the slotted spoon to quickly remove the pasta and put it into the ice water bath (by now lukewarm water is good enough). Once the pasta has cooled, drain the water and put that vitamin and mineral-rich water on the plant outside your door!
Add the pasta to the bowl with the asparagus. Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl.
If you haven’t toasted the pine nuts or grated the cheese, do that now. Also, chop the basil. Set all 3 aside.
Whisk together the lemon juice, shallot and garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the oil as you are whisking until it reaches a nice consistency. Toss with the pasta-asparagus-tomato mixture and let sit for a few minutes so the noodles absorb the flavors.
Mix in the basil, cheese, and pine nuts. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve. This makes a perfect dinner preparation in your cozy RV! Accompaniments can include a crusty warm loaf of sliced ciabatta or artisan bread, and maybe that 4-bean salad from last week’s column.
Feedback always welcome!-- Wendy
It’s spring, spring, spring! And the markets are filled with asparagus, asparagus, asparagus, the spring vegetable. Now’s the time to cook with this delicate plant, Nick’s favorite vegetable, and have I got a great recipe for you!
But first, a bit of history. Did you know (according to Wikipedia) that asparagus was not cultivated in the US until 1850? That is amazing, since it was popular in Europe for 400 years earlier and was enjoyed as long as 3000 years ago in Egypt. Don’t buy it canned, don’t buy it frozen. Both are guaranteed to be disasters. You can only buy it fresh, now, when it’s in season. And you need to cook it fast, to a perfectly crisp-tender state of bright green perfection.
This bowtie pasta w/ asparagus recipe, adapted from the new book The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen (currently for sale at Costco and worth every penny) will explain how to cook asparagus perfectly, even in your tiny house on wheels, assuming you have a stovetop to boil water and a slotted spoon.
Bowtie Pasta with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon-Basil Dressing
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
----------------
- 1 bunch of asparagus. Trim off the lower third of the stems and cut the rest into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
- 8 ounces of shaped pasta like bow-ties, shells, or rigatoni
- half a box of cherry tomatoes, halved (about a cup)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted until aromatic in a dry sauté or frying pan
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese -- freshly grated from a wedge is best
- 1/2 cup chopped, fresh basil -- by the way start growing this in a pot like a houseplant from those basil plant plugs in plastic cones sold in grocery stores. Just put it in more soil and a bigger pot. Put outside in the sun daily.
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice -- come on, not the bottled variety!
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use domestic variety -- it’s fresher and more verifiable!)
- 2 shallots and 2 garlic cloves, minced (or substitute 1/4 cup minced onion)
- salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
----------------
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. As it is coming to a boil, fill a large bowl with ice water -- if you don’t have ice cubes, just use the coldest water you can find. Set aside.
When water is boiling drop in asparagus and time it for precisely 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, test a piece at exactly 2 minutes by removing it from the pot and dropping into the ice water. If it’s still a little woody, drop it back into the pot for another 30 seconds. If it’s al dente crisp but tender, it’s done. Use slotted spoon to quickly remove all the asparagus to the ice water bath. This stops the cooking process immediately. You don’t want to overcook asparagus.
Keep the pot of water boiling now and add the pasta. Cook until noodles are al dente, or till desired tenderness.
Remove the now-cooled asparagus from the ice water and put into a large salad bowl.
Use the slotted spoon to quickly remove the pasta and put it into the ice water bath (by now lukewarm water is good enough). Once the pasta has cooled, drain the water and put that vitamin and mineral-rich water on the plant outside your door!
Add the pasta to the bowl with the asparagus. Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl.
If you haven’t toasted the pine nuts or grated the cheese, do that now. Also, chop the basil. Set all 3 aside.
Whisk together the lemon juice, shallot and garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the oil as you are whisking until it reaches a nice consistency. Toss with the pasta-asparagus-tomato mixture and let sit for a few minutes so the noodles absorb the flavors.
Mix in the basil, cheese, and pine nuts. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve. This makes a perfect dinner preparation in your cozy RV! Accompaniments can include a crusty warm loaf of sliced ciabatta or artisan bread, and maybe that 4-bean salad from last week’s column.
Feedback always welcome!-- Wendy
About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!
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