On St. Patrick’s Day, all sorts of recipes turn up for green cookies, green muffins, green candy, green everything except pasta. So how about making a nice dish of green linguine for St. Pat’s Day?
Here’s the recipe:
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus, bottom tips discarded & stems cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 pound (16 ounces) spinach linguine or fettuccine pasta variety
salt, to taste
10 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut in half
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
Directions:
1. Set the cut asparagus aside in a bowl.
2. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 4 to 6-quart sauce pot.
3. When water boils, add pasta and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the water.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. During the last minute of pasta cooking, add the asparagus to the pasta in sauce pot.
6. When pasta is “al dente” (crunchy-tender), drain the cooked pasta in a colander and quickly transfer it to a large glass or porcelain bowl.
7. Add the cherry tomatoes and olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and olive oil levels.
8. Serve pasta in individual bowls; ask guests to add grated cheese to their pasta bowls.
Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc or Cabinet Sauvignon
Text & Photograph ©2018 Nancy DeLucia Real
Nancy DeLucia Real is an art historian and chef. She has led culinary courses at the Italian Cultural Institute, The Getty Center and The Getty Villa and is a former member of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. Nancy's gastronomy training took place in the heart of Italy under the tutelage of her grandmother. She has taught international cuisine at Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table Stores. Nancy's art history & culinary courses are ongoing at various institutions. She also teaches private cooking classes. 
