that girl allison

I pulled a recipe out of Cosmopolitan two years ago entitled “The Perfect Summer Pasta,” and I finally got around to making it last week.  I’ve been a huge fan of asparagus lately, and I always love lemon so this sounded perfect.  For some reason the recipe sounded a lot more complicated than it actually turned out to be, and it was delicious.  It is the perfect summer pasta and I definitely recommend trying it out this season.

Ingredients: 

1. 2 lemons, quartered
2. 12 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes
3. 1 lbs asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1.5-to-2 inch lengths.
4. 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
5. salt and pepper
6. 1 lb corkscrew pasta
7. 1 4-oz wedge of Parmesan cheese
8. 1 c. torn fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450*
2. Boil water and cook pasta according to package
3. Place lemons, whole tomatoes, and asparagus in a large roasting pan.  
4. Drizzle it with 2 tbs olive oil
5. Sprinkle with salt and pasta, and toss by hand
6. Cook until tomatoes are softened and asparagus is well cooked, about 15 minutes.
7. Add pasta and 2 tbs of pasta water to the roasting pan, and add parmesan, mint, and last tbs of olive oil.  Season generously with salt and pepper, toss everything together.  
8. Squeeze remaining lemon juice from the lemons on top.  Serve hot.

The first dish I tried making was from a recipe I found a few weeks ago in the New York Times.  I left out the onions, and it’s basically a simple baked pasta, but it was good!  As evident by the above photo, it was difficult to snap a picture that didn’t make the food look gross.  

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup diced onions
• 1 table spoon sliced garlic
• 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup Sardinian sheep’s milk ricotta
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan  cheese
• 1 box penne
• 2 tablespoons butter

Recipe:

1. Boil a pot of salted water.
2. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan heat over medium heat, add onions and saute until translucent; add garlic, and saute for another minute.  Bring tomatoes and red minute.  Bring tomatoes and red pepper to a simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Cook pasta in water for five minutes, then drain.
4. Place pasta in the man with sauce.  Stair until coated well.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of parmesan over pasta.  Turn heat off and add butter, basil, and ricotta.  Stir and pour in a 12”x9” baking dish.  Put remaining parmesan on top and bake in a 425* oven for 20-30 minutes until the top is crown and crispy. 

When I was in Maine a few weekends ago, my aunt made Butternut Squash Soup and I kinda-sorta helped.  I was “inspired” and hungry last night, so I tried making it with her recipe and it came out really well - probably spicier than it should be, but I like a lot of pepper.  Here’s the recipe:

• 1 or 1 1/2 cups diced onion or white part of leeks (leeks are milder, so I’d use the larger amount with them)
• 1/2 c. diced celery
• 2 T. butter (you can substitute olive oil) 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 t. curry powder
• 2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small stick cinnamon
• 3/4 t. saltdash cayenne pepper
• optional: 3/4 c. cream or half and half (you can substitute apple cider or stock for this)

Saute the onion or leek and celery in butter until softened. Add garlic and curry powder, and saute another minute. Add stock, squash, bay leaf, cinnamon, salt and cayenne.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.

Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, adding enough cream to thin to desired consistency.  

Can be eaten warm or cold.