Sunday, November 15, 2009

Fusilli with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon zest and asparagus


I am doing a corporate function tomorrow and prepared this dish for one of their meals. I wanted to share this delicious pasta recipe with you.

1 box fusilli
2 bunches fresh thin asparagus
1 C. thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 C. toasted pine nuts (Trader Joe's sells them pre-toasted)
zest from 1 lemon
2 cubes frozen garlic
kosher salt and pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Boil pasta in salted water. While pasta cooks, lay a steamer over the pot and steam asparagus until just bright green, 2 minutes max. Plunge asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Remove from the bowl and slice into 2" pieces. Toss in a large bowl with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon zest, frozen garlic, olive oil, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook pasta until al dente 10-12 minutes. Drain and add to bowl, and toss to combine. Finally, add a handful of parsley and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm.

Other add-in's that would be delicious:
pitted kalamata olives
fresh baby spinach
grilled shrimp

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