Pasta Delights II
Posted
Sat, 03/06/04
The other day I mentioned my plans to make Farfalle with Mascarpone, Asparagus & Hazelnuts from the April issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. This morning Wilbert and I did our typically early grocery shopping. The store we frequent did not have three items needed for the recipe: mascarpone cheese, hazelnuts or chives.
Lacking the proper ingredients for a dish has never stopped me before. I picked up a container of part-skim ricotta cheese, slivered almonds (which I toasted in a pan with butter), and green onions along with the greens in place of the chives (ends trimmed off). Additionally, I dashed in some Romano cheese rather than Parmesan.
Perhaps the only thing missing from the recipe was the inclusion of garlic in any form, although it certainly didn't detract from the flavor of the dish.
My modified version of the recipe follows:
Farfalle with Mascarpone, Asparagus & Hazelnuts
1.5 LBS slender asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2" lengths (about 1 C)
Preheat oven to 450-degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place asparagus on prepared sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper; toss to coat and spread in a single layer. Roast until asparagus is tender, about ten minutes. (Can be prepared two hours ahead; let stand at room temperature). Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm to bite; stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving one cup of pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pot; stir in ricotta, Romano cheese and asparagus. Toss over medium-low heat until pasta is coated with sauce and mixture is heated through, adding reserved pasta water by 1/4 cupfuls if dry, about three minutes. Mound the pasta in a large shallow serving bowl; sprinkle with slivered roasted almonds, green onions and more Romano cheese.
Wilbert dislikes asparagus (or thought he did). However, he loved the pasta dish and went back for two more servings.
*Related Blog Post: Pasta Delights (03/04/04).
Tags: Food Magazines;
Pasta
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