Asparagus, that elegant vegetable.
The other night as I was preparing to make the first dinner in our new kitchen, I asked my family if they had a preference for the first meal. But before I could barely finish my sentence, they hammered in unison, "PASTA!" As if they were the entire population of Italy who hadn't had pasta for the last million years.
Honestly, my family is not French, they would easily give up their baguettes for pasta any day of the year. Sacha would have pasta for breakfast everyday if I let him.
Pasta. Don't get me wrong I have a love affair for pasta too, but that wasn't my idea for the first meal. I was thinking something a bit more sophisticated, a bit more celebratory, a bit more… I don't know elaborate… special.. unique.
Then again, I remember having a dinner party, were it was the first time some guests were to come to our home. I made pasta with smoked salmon, in a tarragon cream sauce. As I was tossing the pasta in our old kitchen I overheard them say that their family was from Italy, and that their mother made their pasta daily from scratch. With that I nearly dropped the pasta bowl on the floor.
I should have chucked my pasta, right then and there, out the window. I would have if it hadn't been for the smoked salmon.
They talked on and on about how only Italians can cook pasta al dente. I figured we lived close enough to the Italian border, and since I cook pasta several times a week I needn't worry… I swallowed hard, I looked at my pretty pasta, tasted one, it had a chew to it. I carried it to the table and served it.
Unfortunately, it did not pass their "al dente perfection need" and they barely ate it. I was embarrassed, and kinda sad to boot. I looked at their untouched smoked salmon. I imagined how I could save that untouched, beautiful, smoked salmon from going into the garbage. I wished I had a cat.
Later, Sacha would reassure me that I was not a bad cook (I am over sensitive) and that my pasta was the best in the world. Then he said, "Well, at least we know who won't be coming to dinner again."
So you see pasta can be tricky. It is not as easy as throwing a bunch of hard noodles into a pan of boiling water. Not that I ever thought my pasta was a soggy slush… but maybe I shouldn't think of it as a simple fare either.
We hadn't had pasta in over a month. That is almost like going without oxygen for ten minutes or something crucial as that. Silly to say, each time I made pasta I recall our al dente guests and get nervous. Last night I renewed my faith in my pasta making, and washed that crummy memory down the drain.
Pasta with elegant Asparagus very al dente.
Cook Pasta, a few minutes less than what is written on the box.
While the water is doing its best to boil prepare the sauce.
Saute a hearty handful of pine nuts, and put aside,
Saute strips of smoked salmon,
When the pasta water begins to boil add salt to the water.
Pour cream into a pan and heat,
Cut the steamed asparagus in bite-able sizes…al dente asparagus that is!!
Before the cream starts to roll and tumble wildly, add the asparagus, pine nuts, smoked salmon and a tad of tarragon to it, let it simmer and thicken.
Drain the pasta, add a touch of olive oil and Parmesan toss, then add the asparagus cream sauce.
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