Wow! The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of preparation for the first two-week leg of the food tour. We have stops confirmed in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. If you haven't checked back lately, see the schedule for stops near you or folks you know and help spread the word.
I said to Rob the other day that it's kind of ironic to be eating hurried meals in front of my computer while organizing a food tour. Thankfully, however, we've still been able to invest significant time and energy into preparing some wonderful seasonal meals with our housemate and other guests. The other night, we hosted nine people in our dining room, including the couple with whom we split a farm share, for what will probably be our last asparagus meal of the season. The Michigan asparagus season, which we longingly anticipate all spring, has almost wound all the way down. But, for next year or if you're still lucky enough to have some asparagus around, here's a wonderful recipe, which is our amalgamation of two similar recipes from Simply in Season and Moosewood Restaurant New Classics.
Lemon Asparagus Pasta
Serves 6- 1 1/2 pounds of asparagus
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1/4 c. lemon juice
- 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan or asiago cheese
Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, use a food processor or blender to puree the asparagus stems, lemon juice, olive oil, dill and nutmeg until smooth. If needed for consistency, add a little bit of the pasta water. Stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the asparagus puree and the asparagus tips. Eat it while it's hot and enjoy!
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