Time 20m Yield 4 to 6 servings Number Of Ingredients 0 Steps:
Cook 1 pound trimmed asparagus in salted boiling water until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to ice water to cool; drain and pat dry, then roughly chop. Puree the asparagus in a food processor with 1 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup fresh mint, 1/3 cup toasted unsalted pistachios, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil and puree until smooth. Toss with 1 pound cooked pasta and 3/4 cup parmesan, adding pasta cooking water as needed to loosen.
Time 40m Yield 6 Number Of Ingredients 9 Steps:
Bring 2 pots of water to a rolling boil: one large for the pasta and one medium sized for the asparagus.
Time 20m Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add asparagus. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. Let cool, then drain. Bring the same pot of water back up to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 11 minutes, or until al dente. Then drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of cooking water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, asparagus, and basil pesto. Toss until pasta is evenly coated with pesto. If the sauce is too thick, begin pouring in some reserved pasta water (about 2 tablespoons at a time) until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Add chives, lemon zest, and mozzarella, and stir until just combined. Divide pasta into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese. If eating immediately, serve hot. You can also serve it cold or at room temperature as a delicious vegetarian pasta salad.
Time 30m Yield 4 serving(s) Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. When ready, drain and then toss with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Meanwhile, combine asparagus, basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, pecans, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Serve asparagus pesto over prepared pasta.
Yield Serves 4 as a main course Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Trim woody ends from asparagus. Cut asparagus stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces, reserving tips. In a steamer set over boiling water steam stalks, covered, 4 minutes. Add reserved asparagus tips and steam, covered, until just tender, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well in a colander and pat dry. In a food processor pulse pine nuts and garlic with salt until finely chopped. Add asparagus and oil and pulse until asparagus is coarsely chopped. Transfer pesto to a large bowl and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to pesto, tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.
Time 25m Yield 4 servings Number Of Ingredients 13 Steps:
Trim the tough ends from the asparagus. Store half of the spears upright in a glass filled halfway with water to keep it fresh for a few days or until ready to serve. Chop the remaining asparagus and place it in a food processor. Add the mint, parsley, tarragon, cheese, pistachios, garlic and lime juice. Add the EVOO, pouring to a count of 6 (1/3 to 1/2 cup). Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until the pesto comes together. Place in a small container and store in the refrigerator if not using immediately. To serve, bring the pesto to room temperature and place it in a large, shallow serving bowl. Slice the reserved asparagus spears on an angle into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season with salt. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes, then add the peas and chopped asparagus and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and add it to the serving bowl to thin the pesto. Drain the pasta, peas and asparagus and add to the bowl. Toss 1 to 2 minutes to combine. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the shaved cheese. Cook’s Note: The pesto can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Time 15m Number Of Ingredients 5 Steps:
In a food processor, briefly whizz the mint leaves, ricotta and grated Parmesan until you have a smooth green pesto. Season well. Boil the pasta, dropping in the asparagus tips 2-3 mins before the cooking time is up. When you drain the pasta, keep back a few tbsp of the water, then return the pasta, asparagus and water to the saucepan. Quickly stir in the mint pesto, divide between 4 plates, then shave over the remaining Parmesan to serve.
Time 20m Yield 6 servings. Number Of Ingredients 10 Steps:
In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook the garlic, red pepper flakes and hot pepper sauce in oil and butter for 1 minute. Add the asparagus, salt and pepper; saute until asparagus is crisp-tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in cheese. Pour over hot pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Time 40m Yield 4 servings Number Of Ingredients 8 Steps:
Snap off and discard ends of asparagus. Cut off top two inches of spears and reserve. Chop rest of spears and put in food processor with garlic, processing until very finely minced. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. Add 1/2 cup cheese and pulse. Transfer mixture to a bowl, fold in lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook about 6 minutes, until not quite al dente. Add asparagus spears to the pot and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Spoon 1/4 cup pasta water into a large skillet. Drain pasta and asparagus tips and add to skillet along with asparagus mixture and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring with tongs, 3 minutes or so, until ingredients are well blended. Check seasonings. Transfer to 4 warm plates, scatter with oregano and serve with extra cheese.
Time 20m Yield 4 to 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups) Number Of Ingredients 8 Steps:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly. Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).
Time 25m Yield 4 Number Of Ingredients 7 Steps:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Saute asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook 3 minutes more. Drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish. Gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan and crushed red pepper.
Time 30m Yield 6 serving(s) Number Of Ingredients 13 Steps:
Make pesto: Combine basil, pine nuts, oil and garlic in a food processor. Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil. Add cheeses and sea salt. Blend until smooth. Transfer to small bowl. (Makes about 2/3 cup. Can be made 1 day ahead. Top with 1/4 inch olive oil and chill.). Prepare pasta: Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and return to pot. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat while pasta cooks. Add asparagus and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cook 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until asparagus are tender 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add pesto, spinach, and chicken (if using) to pasta and toss until well-combined. Sprinkle with grated or shaved Parmesan. Serve warm, or chill and serve cold.
