Monday, May 25, 2009

Asparagus and Feta Pasta


I think this is the first recipe I'm posting from New Vegetarian Cuisine. I bought this book some time ago but never got around to trying out any recipes. I've started cooking out of it more though and while not all the recipes are keepers, some of them are. And the thing I like about the cookbook is that most of the recipes are healthy, relatively easy to make, and use easy to find ingredients.

This is one of my new favourite dishes, so please don't be put off by the less than stellar photo of it! The "sauce" has so much flavour (and I say "sauce" because it's not really saucey but it does coat the pasta). It's made of a delicious combination of sun dried tomatoes, feta, parsley, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, capers, oregano and pepper. You can easily sub in broccoli or any other vegetable for the asparagus (though asparagus is a favourite of mine so I won't be subbing anything in until asparagus goes out of season!), and you can use whatever pasta you want, though I'd recommend something that can catch this type of sauce well like spaghetti, fettucine or the suggested cavatelli. I'm submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, being hosted this week by I'm a Food Blog.


If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with Creamy Spinach Walnut Sauce
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Artichoke Rotini Pasta
Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons


My Abby. <3


Asparagus and Feta Pasta
Adapted from New Vegetarian Cuisine

The original recipe calls for more pasta and less asparagus but I like my dishes more heavy on the veggies so I adjusted it as such.

Serves 3-4

10 sun dried tomatoes
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 ounces feta cheese
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper
9 oz whole wheat spaghetti
20 thin asparagus spears, cut into 2" pieces

1. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes and water. Let stand for 2 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.

2. Transfer the tomatoes to a food processor. Add the parsley and process until coarsely chopped.

3. Crumble the feta into a large serving bowl; drizzle with the vinegar and oil. Sprinkle with the capers, oregano and pepper. Stir in the tomato mixture.

4. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the asparagus in the last minute to parboil it. Drain.

5. Transfer the pasta and asparagus to the serving bowl. Toss with the tomato mixture and the rserved tomato soaking liquid; mix well.

15 comments:

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I love pastas with sun-dried tomatoes & feta. I've never seen that cookbook before. I should see if the library has it.

Lisa Turner said...

Yet another great recipe. I sure wish I lived close to you :) The "sauce" contains some of my favorites.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am very keen on this sauce Ashley. It just looks delcious. I am a sucker for asparagus too of course. Abby made me smile, what a great shot :)

Maria said...

Looks like a great meal to me!

Deborah said...

I think it looks and sounds wonderful!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This has all the makings of a fabulous meal.

Pam said...

Abby is too cute. I love this pasta dish. Love the flavors, especially the feta.

Sara said...

This looks wonderful. It is one of those recipes that you can easily adapt to whatever you have in the house, which is my favorite way to make new pasta dishes.

Ricki said...

I love asparagus in anything, but it always seems to elevate pasta a notch. Looks great!

Anonymous said...

Ashley,

I Love your kittie! So sexilicious! haha.

Congrats on finishing your final. I just turned in a my last reports for Chemistry. Glad that is done with!

Your cake below is absolutely divine! I know what you mean about stressing out about cakes. When you make them by hand they can be a toughy. I'm glad it turned out well though...wish I had that slice...haha! Ganache is tricky to make--one mess up could ruin everything. But, yours looks really super uUuber good.

Here are a list of recipes that I have tried from Indian in 6:

Batata Kaap p. 27
Khatti Meethi Machhi p. 49
Puli Bathak p. 84
pumpkin in coconut milk p. 88
Aloo Mutter Jeerawala p. 90
Palak Ki dal p. 104
Chocolat burfie p 137

I love them all, but I would have to say that my top three are Aloo Mutter Jeerawala, Palak Ki dal and Puli Bathak.

I really want to try the Banana fritters with cardamom butter on p 142 and the Tahir Vade on p 120.

Have fun! You'll really enjoy her simplicity.

Elyse said...

Mmm, the "sauce" on this pasta sounds divine. Plus, I'm an asparagus girl myself, so this dish really appeals to me. What a great weeknight dinner!

The Food Hunter said...

Sounds like the perfect combo. And what a cute cat.

Jaime said...

abby is so cute!!

the bee stings might be a bit better (not too dense) if you follow the tips on the pink stripes blog - she had some great tips there

Anonymous said...

If you could e-mail me with a few suggestions on just how you made your blog look this excellent, I would be grateful.

Anonymous said...

found this, tried it, loved it, posted it! i changed it up a bit, but i did give you credit. here's the link - http://wp.me/p1cn3Q-un