Meatless Monday: linguine with asparagus, tomatoes, and goat cheese
We were in St. Louis a few weeks ago, visiting our friends Rich and Laura. As usual, we ate lots of good food there. Scoops of Ozark black walnut ice cream at . Heart healthy (and satisfying) egg white breakfast sandwiches at the bustling . Local, seasonal-focused classic French cuisine at , housed in the former Welsh Baby Carriage Factory across the street from Soulard Market.
But our favorite meal was prepared in our friends鈥� hardworking, beautiful open kitchen. Laura is a vegetarian whose diet skews mostly vegan, with detours into pescetarian. That doesn鈥檛 keep her from cooking meat for her omnivorous family and friends, though.聽
The meal in question involved a wonderful mushroom-stuffed rolled pork tenderloin, pan seared, then roasted. Don鈥檛 be surprised if a version turns up here one day. As delicious as the tenderloin was, this week鈥檚 recipe was inspired by her show-stealing side dish 鈥� steamed asparagus topped with saut茅ed grape tomatoes finished with garlic and balsamic vinegar and topped with dollops of goat cheese. The big flavors of the tomatoes and asparagus are enhanced by the vinegar, and everything is balanced by the creamy goat cheese.聽To give it a starring role, I turned this flavorful side into a vegetarian pasta main course.
Asparagus is in season now, beckoning from produce shelves everywhere. For this dish, you don鈥檛 need the pencil-skinny spears, but you definitely don鈥檛 want the chunky asparagus cigars (I mean seriously, who ever wants those?). Skinny to medium spears will work best.
For the tomatoes, smallish grape tomatoes are best. If all you can get are cherry tomatoes, halve them before cooking.
Linguine with Asparagus, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Serves 2
12 to 16 asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces (about 1-1/2 cups)
Salt
7 ounces linguine (or fettuccine or spaghetti)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ounces goat cheese
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. When it comes to a full boil, blanch the asparagus pieces by dumping them in the pot of water, cooking them for 1 minute, then transferring them to a bowl of iced water with a slotted spoon.
2. Cook the pasta to al dente, following the package instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick saut茅 pan over medium flame. Add the tomatoes and saut茅 until they begin to soften, burst and brown slightly, stirring frequently, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain the asparagus pieces and add them to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Season with a generous grind of black pepper.聽Add garlic and oregano to pan and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
5. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to asparagus and tomato mixture and toss to coat. If the dish seems dry, add pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Divide between two pasta bowls, crumble goat cheese over pasta and serve.
