Farfalle With Asparagus, Red Onion, Walnuts & Blue Cheese

Submitted by Chicagoland Chef du Jour

"My girlfriend from Long Island,NY passed this recipe along to me. It was from "Newsday", her local newspaper. I would suggest following the recipe as written. I have used pinenuts & vidalia onions and the flavors fell flat. UPDATE 10/10, I have made it twice now, using walnuts and red onions makes a huge difference. I like adding the red pepper flakes for kick!"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 8 ounces farfalle pasta, small to medium in size bow tie any shaped pasta will work beautifully
• 1 lb asparagus, trim off tough ends, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cups red onions, chopped
• 1 cup walnuts, halved, toasted
• 1⁄2 cup blue cheese, substitute Gorgonzola for a bolder flavor
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

directions

1. Cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water according to the package directions. Three (3) minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, toast the walnuts in a large dry skillet until they are aromatic and lightly browned. CAREFUL not to burn. About 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Once cooled, either leave halved or do a rough chop but leave some big pieces.
3. Over medium heat, heat 2 T of olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and cook until onion is softened and translucent, about 7-9 minutes. I prefer to cook longer until they are caramelized.
4. Toss the pasta & asparagus with the onion, walnuts and blue cheese. Stir in remaining 1T olive oil. Add salt & pepper, to taste.