Hamandasparaguspasta Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Stir asparagus into pot in the last five minutes of cooking; drain.
• While pasta is cooking, heat butter and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to bubble, stir in Parmesan, garlic powder, pepper and cayenne. Continue cooking until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in ham and heat through.
• Toss pasta and asparagus with sauce and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling water seven minutes.
• Add asparagus; cook an additional 2-3 minutes; drain.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large frying pan and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Add onion to butter and saute 4-5 minutes, just until softened.
• Combine flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Add milk and chicken broth; combine well with a whisk.
• Add milk mixture to frying pan.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 5 minutes).
• Remove sauce from heat; stir in lemon juice.
• Combine all ingredients except parmesan and bread crumbs in a large casserole dish.
• Combine parmesan and bread crumbs, and sprinkle over top of casserole.
• Bake at 450F for approximately 10 minutes, until casserole is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the frozen asparagus the last 5 minutes and the ham the last 1 minute of the cooking time. Drain and return pasta to pan.
• Stir together cream cheese and milk; add to the pasta mixture in the pan. Stir gently over medium heat until the mixture is heated through. If desired, garnish with fresh chives. Makes 4 servings.

Steps:

• Boil water for the pasta. Cook as you are preparing the garlic/asparagus sauce. In a skillet, cook garlic, red pepper flakes and hot pepper sauce in heated oil and butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Add asparagus, salt and pepper; saute until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese, mix well. Pour over hot pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• To prepare the asparagus, cut off and discard the woody ends, then neatly cut the tips away from the stalks. Keep the tips and stalks separate. In a small saucepan bring the cream and garlic to the boil. Take off the heat, remove the garlic, then set the pan aside.
• Cook the stalks in boiling salted water for about 4-5 mins until tender, drain, then tip into the cream with the grated parmesan. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth.
• Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, then throw in the tips 2 mins before the end of cooking time. Gently reheat the cream, drain pasta, then tip into a bowl with the cream. Toss, divide into pasta bowls, top with parmesan shavings and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
• 2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
• 5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.
• 6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.
• 7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.
• Your Nightly Specials
• Mushrooms: Instead of using the cremini, use 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms.
• Dried Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms like porcini, morel, and chanterelle offer a quick way to add flavor to cooking and are especially useful in the off season or winter months. Always rinse dried mushrooms under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt and sand, then reconstitute them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain, and strain the liquid. Save the liquid for soups and sauces. Keeping a small packet of dried mushrooms, which costs just a few dollars, in your pantry will five earthy flavor on demand.
• Use a spice grinder to grind dried porcini to a powder. This seasoning powder will very economically make a full pot of risotto taste like a much more costly version, something many restaurants do to make flavors pop. Add 1 tablespoon to the finished mushrooms for a powerful and full flavor at an economical price.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Fresh porcini are among the most delicious of mushrooms. When they are available each fall, by all means use them, although they are expensive and need to be cooked as quickly as possible because they are highly perishable.
• Add 1/2 cup of blanched and shocked fresh or frozen peas, spincach, and/or broccoli buds.
• Toss some shredded, leftover roasted turkey or duck meat into the pan along with the cooked pasta.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, saute asparagus and yellow pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and ham; heat through. Drain pasta; add to mixture. Stir in parsley and seasonings. Sprinkle with cheese.

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Rinse with cold water; drain. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add asparagus. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain., In a large bowl, toss spaghetti with eggs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Spread into two greased 2-qt. baking dishes., In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the evaporated milk, milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. , Remove from the heat. Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, mustard, parsley and rosemary. Stir in cheddar cheese and remaining Parmesan until blended., Sprinkle ham and asparagus over spaghetti crust. Pour cheese sauce over top. Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly.

Steps:

• Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, reserving tips separately. Cook asparagus stems in 5 to 6 quarts boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving cooking water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain asparagus well and transfer to a food processor or blender.
• Cook asparagus tips in same boiling water until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to colander, reserving boiling water in pot, and rinse under cold water. Drain tips well.
• Purée asparagus stems with zest, oil, and 1/2 cup asparagus cooking water. Transfer sauce to a 4-quart saucepan.
• Cook pasta in boiling asparagus cooking water until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three fourths of the recommended cooking time. Reserve 2 cups cooking water and drain pasta.
• Add pasta, asparagus tips, and 1/2 cup reserved water to asparagus sauce and cook over high heat, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, or until pasta is almost al dente and sauce coats pasta. Add more cooking water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce coats pasta but is a little loose (the cheese will thicken it slightly).
• Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to directions.
• Add asparagus and ham or chicken to the pasta during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Drain; return to pan.
• In a 2 cup measurer; stir cream cheese into milk.
• Add mixture to pasta and stir gently over medium heat until heated through.