Sauteed Asparagus

A few days ago, my friend Rachel departed for Thailand where she will teach English for awhile (a year? I'm not sure). Before she left, I wanted to cook dinner for her and Courtney. Since I moved back, the three of us have reconnected, having gone to middle and high school together, then separating for college.  I made some of my favorite dishes - New Orleans Shrimp and Nigella's Hearthbread  - but I also sauteed some asparagus, which I accidentally discovered when preparing some for my savory Vols-au-Vents. Simple and delicious, it's another great way to enjoy asparagus.

Sauteed Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus, bottom 1 inch trimmed off
• a handful of pearl onions, peeled and cut in half
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• salt to taste
  

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Toss in the onions and saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter and let it melt. Add in the asparagus and stir well to coat with butter and oil.  Saute over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and tender. Sprinkle generously with salt.

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

Mmmm asparagus and cheese! I found this recipe a while ago and stashed it in my recipes folder for a warmer day. Well, warmer days have arrived finally and out came this tart. Easy, yet delicious. With more skill on my part, it could be quite gorgeous. I'm hoping to have a small dinner party in a few weeks, and this has a good chance of showing up on the menu.

Asparagus Gruyere Tart:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 cups shredded Gruyere (this is about 5-7 oz)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.
Roll the pastry sheet into a 16X12 rectangle. I take a bit of issue with this exact measurement; roll it out to fit the pan you're using. I used a jelly-roll pan, because that's all I have. Continuing on, once you've got it rolled out to the proper side, trim the edges so they are nice and straight. With a sharp knife, score the dough an inch from the edges to create a rectangle. Use a fork to poke holes every 1/2 inch. Bake for 10-15 minutes. WATCH carefully. Mine baked for 15 minutes while I worked on something else and was so overdone that I had to throw it out and start over. Watch carefully. Cook only until it's lightly golden and slightly puffed.
Once the pastry has cooked a bit, remove it from the oven. Sprinkle the cheese within the scored rectangle. Trim the asparagus to fit the pastry, then lay it alternating tip to end. (See picture).
Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and ground pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Again, be careful. I watched mine, focusing on the color of the pastry. Once it was golden, I turned the temperature down to 200F. Once the pastry was dark golden, I removed it. I think I ended up cooking mine for 15 minutes; the asparagus was perfectly tender.

I gave hubby a piece of this to try and he ravaged it, then went back for seconds and took about half the tart. I would almost equate it to a comfort food, what with the pastry and copious cheese. The asparagus makes you think you're being healthy. It's delicious.

Easy Italian Mac

Sitting in the laundromat the other night waiting for a month's worth of laundry to dry, I was flipping through a Better Homes and Garden and found this recipe. Now, I'm usually a pretty straight-laced kid, but I - carefully - tore the recipe out of the magazine and slipped it into my purse. I'm not sure what's worse, that I'm a thief or that I'm stealing recipes.. It was worth the thievery though. Quite worth it. The peas really make the dish, which is surprising to me because I still seem to have a 5 year old's idea of peas. Love them though. Nice sweet vegetable goodies.

OH! Shopping for the groceries for dinner tonight, I discovered my local store does now carry mascarpone and gruyere and other tasty things I couldn't previously find. YAY!

Easy Italian Mac:
8 oz bowtie pasta
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch strips
8 oz asparagus spears, woody portions removed and cut into 1 inch strips
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup finely shredded Romano
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this)

Cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water, then drain. Set pasta aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add asparagus and fennel, stirring occasionally. Cook 5-7 minutes or until nearly tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.


Add pasta, mascarpone, and reserved pasta water to skillet. Stir well. Add remaining cheese and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well.




I initially planned to serve this with grilled chicken strips, but decided to surprise hubby and serve it with scallops. Living in the midwest, I had to use frozen ones, but oh well. I just pan seared them after lightly salting and peppering them. They were nice and sweet; hubby said they were cooked just right.

We have plenty of leftovers, which means I have tasty lunch for work tomorrow. This dish is nice because it has a very definite cheesy taste, but it isn't overwhelming. Nothing is coated in sauce, and the veggies give it a nice, crisp flavor. We both really enjoyed it.