Asparagus Giovanni

lazyme's Note:

Giovanni's on Pearl, Ellensburg, Washington. "We put this on our menu in the spring, when fresh Yakima Valley asparagus is abundant," says the chef of Giovanni's on Pearl, who serves this vegetarian entree with crusty French bread and butter. Contrary to what many people believe, thick asparagus spears are often more tender than thin ones. In fact, tenderness has to do with age and moisture content, not size. From The Best Northwest Places Cookbook (Volume 1).

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb dried fettuccine or 1 lb other pastas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ lbs asparagus , trimmed and cut in 1-inch lengths
• 2 ounces sliced mushrooms or 2 ounces wild mushrooms
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves , chopped (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed , crushed
• 1 pinch dried red pepper flakes
• 6 basil leaves , finely chopped
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (or more) or ¼ cup romano cheese (or more)

Directions:

1. BRING A LARGE POT of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. WHILE THE PASTA is cooking, combine the asparagus, mushrooms, wine, olive oil, garlic, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes in a skillet and bring just to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, until the asparagus is just tender but still crisp and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. (If the liquid evaporates before the asparagus is cooked, add a tablespoon of water.)
4. When the asparagus is cooked, stir in the basil, adding salt and pepper to taste.
5. WHEN THE PASTA is cooked, drain well and return it to the pot.
6. Add the butter to the hot pasta and toss to coat well.
7. Arrange the pasta on warmed plates and top with the asparagus and sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Reviews

[Felix4067]

This was amazing! I was a little worried about there being no sauce for the pasta, but it was perfect as written. I did add a few more mushrooms (probably about four ounces), but that was because I had that many. I served mine over whole wheat spaghetti. We think it might also work as a cold salad without the pasta.