Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Lemon Pasta

(Picture from Smitten Kitchen)

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it at Smitten Kitchen. The author of the blog
adapted it from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
• 1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish
• 1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)
• Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Directions:

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season genersously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if you feel it needs a little extra kick.

Serves 6

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese instead of goat cheese.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus

This recipe was submitted by Megan T. She found it at the Food and Wine website. Sneak on over to the link to see the picture (it was copyrighted so I didn't re-post it here). She says it's a great dish to make during asparagus season. She likes to serve it with fresh bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 pound penne
• 1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan.

The website also lists two other variations of this recipe, so if you are interested you can check them out here.