Asparagus Carbonara

Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes and I had been craving it. A carbonara pasta is normally made from an egg yolk, pecorino romano, bacon and pepper. Asparagus is in season and I was thinking that it was similar in shape to penne pasta and that and asparagus penne carbonara would be really nice. Carbonara is really easy to make and it comes together in less time that it takes to cook the pasta. The asparagus carbonara was really good! It was a nice spring twist on a classic!

Ingredients:
1 serving penne
4 slices bacon (chopped)
1 handful asparagus
1 clove garlic (chopped)
pepper to taste
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup pecorino romano
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)

Directions:
1. Start cooking the penne.
2. Fry the bacon in a pan.
3. Cut the asparagus into penne shaped pieces.
4. Drain most of the fat from the pan but reserve some to cook the asparagus.
5. Add the asparagus, garlic and pepper and toss to coat in the bacon grease.
6. Mix the egg yolk, heavy cream and pecorino romano in a bowl.
7. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
8. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
10. Add the egg mixture and toss to coat.
11. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to mix and coat.

Chicken with Broccoli & Bowties

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
8 cups broccoli florets (4 heads)
1/2 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil

Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon or sieve. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

In the same water, cook the bow-tie pasta according to the package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.

In a large skillet saute chicken in a small amount of olive oil until done and nicely caramelized, set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the Chicken, broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the freshly grated parmesan cheese, and serve.

Basil Lemon Pesto

A light and lemony variation on the traditional pesto, this version combines fresh parsley and basil. Toss with your favorite pasta, or spoon over grilled fish or chicken breasts. To toast the pine nuts, place them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 Tbs. toasted pine nuts
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, basil, parsley, cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pulse until ground to a fine paste, about 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups.