Photo and text by KARA
DICAMILLO in EcoRI.org
As the weather begins
to turn warmer, one of the vegetables that I crave is fresh asparagus. I love
it grilled, broiled, steamed and just about any other way imaginable. When it’s
fresh, asparagus has a much sweeter flavor than what you buy in the grocery
store.
For this recipe, I
combined local asparagus with sausage from my CSA for an easy weeknight meal.
My crowd found it to be delicious and went back for seconds. Lucky for me, I
still had leftovers for lunch the next day.
Serves 4
1 pound of sausage,
grilled and sliced
2 bunches of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound of penne pasta
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Half cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chicken broth
2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Parsley, for garnish
2 bunches of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound of penne pasta
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Half cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chicken broth
2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Parsley, for garnish
Bring a large pot of
salted water to boil and add the asparagus. Cook for about 2 minutes, until al
dente, and then remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Add the
pasta to the same boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large
sauté pan heat the olive oil. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and hot pepper
flakes, and sauté until fragrant. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 2
minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the asparagus and penne
to the pan and combine all of the ingredients so that the pasta is evenly
coated. Stir in three-quarters of the cheese and then turn into pasta bowls.
Top each with remaining cheese, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.