Roasted Asparagus Over Spaghetti

 

Asparagus is such a spring-time vegetable, don’t you think?

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Maybe it’s the vibrant green. Or its resemblance to blades of grass.

It just has me thinking spring.

Unfortunately, the weather here is still winter arctic freezing!

SO as much as I want to make light, vibrant dishes, I’m still in need of something to warm me up after the walk home in the biting wind.

And that’s where this dish comes in. The asparagus of sprint time gets roasted for the warm and peppery taste we crave in the cold, and then tossed over spaghetti for the comfort that only a bowl of pasta can provide.

This little dish straddles the seasonal line.

And the best part?

6 ingredients! Total.

  • Asparagus
  • Spaghetti
  • Ricotta cheese
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 and cover a cookie sheet in foil.

Slice you asparagus up into bit-sized chunks, lay on the cookie sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

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Pop in the oven to roast for about 15- 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your spaghetti.

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When your spaghetti is cooked, drain the water and put the pasta back in the pot. Add a scoop of ricotta to the warm pasta and give it a stir until it melts in.

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Top with the roasted asparagus and toss.

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Dish up in big bowls.

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And pray for spring.

Hey, you know how we wear pajamas inside out in hopes of a snow day?

Is there something to bring a Spring day?

Pesto

Pesto is something that should be in your itty bitty city kitchen arsenal.

It’s a super simple sauce to whip up to toss over pasta or to use as a sandwich spread. Hello tomato, mozzarella and pesto for lunch!

It’s even great to set out in a bowl with some crostini for a cocktail party.

I’ve posted before about parsley pesto, but I haven’t made the traditional basil one yet.

You can make pesto out of any leafy thing really. I’ve done spinach, parsley, mint,  and various combinations. On my to try list is a mushroom pesto I saw in a cook book.

I think one of the points of debate when it comes to pesto is nuts. Do you put them in at all? And what kinds do you use? The traditional approach is to add pine nuts. But I’ve also seen a lot of people use walnuts. I used pistachios in my parsley post.

I don’t really like pine nuts, so I leave them out of my basil pesto.

I love basil and I love the clean crisp taste it has, so I like to do as little to it as possible.

Basically, add a bunch of basil, two garlic cloves and some olive oil into the food processor and buzz away.

Look at that color!

Sprinkle in some parmesan and give it another quick whir and you are in business.

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Boil up some water and toss in your pasta of choice. I like bow ties with pesto because the sauce can get stuck in all the little folds.

A little trick: if your pesto is too thick, add a spoonful or two of pasta water to thin it out. The starch in the water will prevent the sauce from getting too runny.

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