Meatless Monday with Pennette with Asparagus

Welcome (back) to the blog and thank you for joining us for another Meatless Monday. We at Miratel Solutions took the Meatless Monday pledge as part of our CSR business initiatives in support of eliminating meat consumption (at least) one day per week to improve personal and planetary health. You can read about how this one small action can have great impact at www.meatlessmonday.com. Now onto to our recipe.

Today’s vegetarian recipe celebrates spring and its seasonal vegetables like fresh, local asparagus which is both affordable and readily available at this time of year. Our recipe today capitalizes on this great vegetable and combines it with pennette for a simple, delicious meal that is “an excellent dish to showcase fresh spring asparagus.” This recipe comes courtesy of Canadian Chef Massimo Capra who shared this recipe on the CityTV’s daytime talk show CityLine with Tracy Moore. Now, let’s get cooking.

Pennette with Asparagus

Instructions

• 1 lb Pennette Liscie
• 2 bunches green asparagus, sliced thin
• 1 bunch white asparagus, sliced thin
• 8 oz leeks, sliced
• 8 oz bulb onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp Pecorino
• 2 oz milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Simultaneously on two burners: preheat a sauté pan and in it add half of the butter and all the olive oil; add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds or until the garlic starts to change colour then add the onions, leeks and season with salt and pepper, and cook for one minute. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about four minutes, if needed add some of the pasta water to moisten the pan.
2. In a bowl beat the eggs with the cheese and the milk, set aside until needed.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for the amount of time desired, my recommendation is to keep it al dente (hard in the middle), once cooked strain away the water and put the pasta to the asparagus and also add the egg mixture and the rest of the butter, toss well over medium heat until the egg is cooked, serve immediately.

This recipe for pennette with asparagus will yield four to six servings and can be adjusted if serving more or less. For those that don’t know, pennette liscie is just like regular penne but it does not have ridges or “lines” on them. Any short pasta you have on hand will work though and if you want to make this dish more nutritious use whole wheat or gluten-free brown rice pasta. Incorporating asparagus into a great tasting pasta dish is a good way to get kids onboard with delicious and nutritious vegetables. Complete this meal with a balsamic vinaigrette or other oil-based Italian dressing salad. This is an easy meal the whole family will enjoy.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit www.meatlessmonday.com to learn more. Join us in taking the pledge and promote going Meatless on Monday to family, friends and even co-workers to build on your CSR business initiatives and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Buon Appetito!