Friday, June 08, 2007

Summer Is Here!

You know it's summer when local asparagus is in the stores....

Rosé is on the shelves.....

and the Stanley Cup finals are on the TV. Woot!

To use the asaparagus pictured above I dug out a recipe I'd received last year in a newsletter I get e-mailed from Nava Atlas.

This was so simple to make and so delicious. A great weeknight dish.






I'm including the recipe at the end of this post for anyone who would like to try it.





I picked up a foccacia on the way and also made a garden salad and dressed it with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette from La Dolce Vegan.






Everything went wonderfully with this bottle of 2000 Hillebrand Showcase Merlot that I had been saving for an occaision just like this.

We had a glass of rosé as an aperitif, pasta with asparagus and the Stanley Cup finals on the TV. Yep. I'd say summer is here!




FETTUCCINE WITH ASPARAGUS AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

12 oz. fettuccine
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 cup thinly sliced oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (or 1/2-1 tsp. dried)*
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes, or a few grains cayenne pepper
10-12 oz. slender, fresh asparagus, trimed and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until golden. Add the diced and dried tomatoes, dried basil and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, then add the asparagus and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 8 minutes.
Combine the pasta, asparagus and sauce in a large serving bowl and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
Serves 4
*There was no mention of the fresh basil in the cooking instructions. I doubled the amount called for and added it when there was about 2-3 minutes of simmering time left.

8 comments:

Judy said...

You know, I keep trying asparagus any chance I get, but I just can't like it. Looks pretty though!

urban vegan said...

I adore asparagus. I just could do with the ...um....after effects.

KleoPatra said...

Mmmmmmm... it's all lookin' good. Did you enjoy the hockey?? Anaheim!!! Who knew?!

The pasta dish looks divine, Carrie!!

bazu said...

Yay asparagus! Yay rose wine! Rose is a definite indicator of summer for me, too.

Crystal said...

I know I haven't visited in awhile, but looks like you still have great things going on.

Great way to use asparagus. Ryan and I just took a trip to a local farm to pick up 7 pounds of the stuff. It's the best asparagus I've ever had...also the first time I had asparagus pee. Ick. (I know you really wanted to know!)

-Crystal

laura k said...

The asparagus dish sounds wonderful... and the Merlot would be divine. Merlot is my favorite.

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

Your locals really know how to grow beautiful looking asparagus. Bet the wine was fabulous.

Harmonia said...

I need to use the asparagus I bought!! Thanks for the reminder!

At least Ottawa lost, eh!? lol