Monday, May 17

For the love of . . .

Asparagus

ASPARAGUS

Please join me for a week long tribute to my favorite vegetable. Each day I'll share one of my favorite asparagus recipes with you. Hope they inspire you to pick up and bunch and share in the love!

This first recipe is actually my mom's. I'm pretty sure I inherited my affection for asparagus from her, so stealing her recipes shouldn't really come as a surprise. She made this for us during her visit and I've made it several times since. It is incredibly versatile, so you could easily incorporate your fav veggie if it's not asparagus (shock, horror!)

boursin

Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Prawns

3/4 lb of spaghetti
1 package of Boursin Cheese (or something comparable like Alouette)
1 bunch of asparagus (rough ends removed)
300 grams (a bit more than 1/2 lb) of prawns
Shredded Parmesan cheese
S & P

1) Blanch asparagus and place it in ice cold water. Be careful not to overcook. 2-3 minutes max! Drain and cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.

2) Saute prawns in a bit of olive oil until just done. Season with S & P. Set aside.

3) Cook spaghetti, drain and save 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return spaghetti to the cooking pot.

4) Mix Boursin into hot spaghetti a 1/3 at a time. Add a little hot cooking liquid as needed to soften the cheese, aiding it in coating the pasta. Continue until all Boursin has been incorporated, adding cooking liquid as needed.

5) Stir in asparagus and prawns. Carefully mix to coat.

6) Season with S & P, more P than S is needed. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.


asparagus and creamy pasta

This photo was taken without prawns.

12 comments:

poppyart said...

i visited a very nice asparagus farmer in the south west of Australia when i was around 20. ahh happy days! i picked asparagus (awful - slipped in mud trenches, sliced ineffectually with a little chopper) but also got to have asparagus stirfries, scrambled egg, asparagus with toast and butter. love it. but it does affect your wee! sorry to be so base! x

Leslie said...

this looks very tasty!!! i would never have thought to use the boursin in pasta...but the flavor must be awesome. i love asparagus.

Miss Candiquik said...

This definitely sounds yummy. And something different...or out of my ordinary w/ the boursin... and love asparagus and pasta of course! Thanks for sharing.

Lisa said...

Oh that looks yummy (minus the prawns:-). Just picked up a bunch of asparagus today and was thinking I need to broaden my recipes for it! Looking forward to some great inspiration from you!!

ksjjpalmer said...

Yum! I'm going to make this for dinner tonight! We both had asparagus last night at the Space Needle. I'm looking forward to this weeks postings!

likeschocolate said...

I love this recipe! It is so simple and I like your addition of the prawns. We will have to try it!

suddenly sahm said...

YUM! I just made something similar with creme fraiche and peas instead of the prawns and boursin. Great canvas for the asparagus. Looking forward to trying this version.

Jessica said...

To think that I spend years (years!) before tasting asparagus is scary to me. I love, love, love asparagus these days!

Tara said...

I ate asparagus in your honor last night at Piatti. It was a warm salad of grilled asparagus, a light olive oil dressing, hazelnuts & chevre. YUM! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

katy said...

Poppyart - asparagus with toast and butter?!? More explanation is definitely in order! Yes, the wee. Weee must discuss that. Maybe tomorrow.

Leslie - I wouldn't have thought of it either! The flavor is really good. Hope you give it a try.

Miss Candiquik - Hope you give it a try! It is different, but delicious.

Lisa - Is it still in season over there? It is here, although the white asparagus seems to be the most popular.

Susan - so glad you tried it. How did it go over with the fam?

likeschocolate - give it a try and let me know!

SAHM - peas and creme fraiche?!?! That sounds soo good.

Jessica - You must not have had an asparagus loving mom like I did ;) I'm sure that is why it has been part of my diet for soo long.

Tara - I seriously can't think of many things tastier than that salad sounds. I have developed quite a love affair with chevre since living here. Let's try to squeeze a meal together at Piatti this summer.

misu said...

The recipe is great! Had it tonight, the Boursin is a great idea - getting the ingredients was another story - went to Alima just before closing time, got everything, saw that I forgot my money at home, raced home, back just in time - a well deserved dinner this evening! :-)

Anonymous said...

This recipe is wonderful! I love Boursin cheese and always have it in my fridge. I never thought that I could make such a delicious pasta with it. Thanks for sharing!
Ingrid

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