There are some days when you are tired, lazy, or whatever you want to call it. I had one of those days a few weeks ago watching cooking reels on my phone. I came across an Italian Chef named Luca Pontanarosa. He owns a restaurant called Ristorante Corleone in Point Saint Lucie, Florida. One of his recipes got my attention. He called it: paccheri with cream of asparagus and burrata cheese with crispy speck. Paccheri is a large rigatoni-like pasta. I used a smaller tube pasta and hickory-smoked bacon instead of Speck. I wish I had had Speck, but it’s not readily available. It turned out to be a delicious creamy pasta that will have a permanent place on my table. The combination of asparagus with burrata, basil, and parmesan cheese is amazing. It is rich and full of flavor. The bacon adds a lot, so I wouldn’t skip it. My husband calls this the Italian version of macaroni and cheese. He suggests the following wine pairing: a crisp white Bordeaux and a tantalizing pinot from Burgundy. Sorry, he prefers French wines. I used my Vitamix because I wanted a smooth sauce. I don’t like to have any stringy asparagus pieces in my sauce (a personal preference). A blender would do the same thing. The original sauce looked more chunky. We invited some friends and my husband grilled his famous rack of lamb. I made my tomatoes stuffed with zucchini and button mushrooms. Most of the time, I use shiitake mushrooms with this recipe, but the button mushrooms were just as good. Here is a link to the recipe. It was a delicious meal. This pasta dish is the perfect comfort food and vegetable haters will eat some of the green stuff. I am thrilled to have found this recipe. The amount of pasta is up to you. If you want more sauce, cook less noodles. Add pasta water if you want a thinner sauce. This dish feeds 4-6 people comfortably, depending on individual appetites or what it is served with it. Ingredients: ¾ lb. tube pasta 1 lb. green asparagus 1 large burrata cheese piece 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese ⅓ cup basil leaves , sliced 4 strips hickory-smoked bacon 3 TBS butter 2 TBS or more olive oil 1 cup or more hot pasta water Salt and pepper Directions: Put on some Big Night Italian music and heat up the pasta water. Add 1 TBS of salt to the pasta water. Cut off the tips of the asparagus and put them aside. Break up the woody end of the asparagus and discard. Slice the asparagus stems in 1-inch pieces. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan with a lid. Add the asparagus and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1 cup pasta water and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Most of the liquid will evaporate after 20 minutes. While the asparagus is cooking, grate the parmesan cheese. I use a micro plane. Put the bacon in a cold frying pan and sauté until crispy. Discard most of the bacon fat and sauté the asparagus tips in the pan. Break the bacon into little pieces and restrain yourself from eating too many. Put the asparagus pieces, the burrata and parmesan cheese, the basil leaves, salt and pepper into a Vitamix or blender. Start with the lowest setting and then increase to more until the sauce is smooth. Taste the sauce, add salt and pepper, some more pasta water and a shot of olive oil. You want a thick and smooth sauce. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the bag. Taste for doneness. Mix the drained pasta with the sauce. Add the asparagus tips and bacon. Taste for seasoning and add more pasta water if necessary. Buon Appetito! Recipe by Luca Pontarosa Cooked by © Sunnycovechef Here are some more asparagus dishes This soup has a permanent place in my kitchen. It is made in 20 minutes and so delicious. A nourishing healthy soup that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Here is the recipe. A vegan asian salad that will please anyone's palate. Perfect for a picnic or party. Here is the recipe This tart flambé or Flammkuchen as we call it in Germany is a pizza-like delicacy for the young and not so young. Here is the recipe This simple but tasty frittata is on the table in 20 minutes.
Here is the recipe
19 Comments
5/21/2024 07:20:48 am
Your husband has good taste in wines! Although my go-to is a pinot Grigio from Italy! But French wines are incredible. anyway, great recipe, and a beautiful plate of food.
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Gerlinde
5/21/2024 10:12:05 am
My husband loves French wines and has been studying them for years.
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Gerlinde
5/21/2024 08:00:52 pm
How popular is asparagus in Australian? Do you the white or the green asparagus or both?
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Gerlinde
5/22/2024 09:46:10 am
Thanks Jeff , we love asparagus.
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Gerlinde
5/25/2024 11:11:31 am
Do you have both, green and white asparagus available when it is in season?
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5/26/2024 08:41:30 am
I watched the chefs video and your presentation of the recipe is much nicer. I'm sure your friends raved about your dinner, it looks wonderful.
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Gerlinde
5/26/2024 08:52:49 pm
Thanks Karen, it took some time to recreate this recipe.
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5/27/2024 04:30:23 pm
Gerlinde - no need to apologize for your husband loving French wines - I do, too! I think his pairings are wonderful. I might add a Vouvray to the mix!
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Gerlinde
5/28/2024 07:53:46 am
Good advice David, my husband approves.
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5/30/2024 01:00:12 pm
Love quick and easy recipes like this delicious creamy asparagus pasta. Making use of this seasonal veggie when it is sweet and abundant makes this recipe a win - win. Hope you are doing well. Please Take Care
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Gerlinde
6/1/2024 01:49:16 pm
I am slowing down a little bit, but other than that, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.
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6/15/2024 05:16:31 am
Sounds fabulous, Gerlinde! I actually make a pasta dish quite like this often in the spring, though I use cream rather than burrata. I want to try the burrata, sounds next-level rich. :-)
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Gerlinde
6/15/2024 08:20:20 pm
The burrata adds a lot to this dish. Also cream doesn’t sound bad Frank.
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6/22/2024 05:16:05 pm
Gerlinde, these look wonderful! I'll be trying the first one soon. And I wholeheartedly approve of your husband's wine pairings!
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Gerlinde
6/23/2024 07:45:39 am
My guy knows his wine, that’s his hobby. I hope you like the asparagus pasta as much as we do.
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WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEFThank you for visiting my blog. My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time. Categories
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