Smoked salmon asparagus pasta

 

This is one of those "what's in the house" meals that happens after you've had one of those "why we live here" Saturday morning runs. First stop is the Midtown Farmers Market, followed by Surdyk's for the Belgian beer sale, then Kramarczuk's because we were close by, then Bill's Imported Foods for a vat of olive oil, feta and kalamatas; a quick library stop for a cookbook and a British mystery, then Kowalski's to fill in the gaps and home by the parkway for the spring blooming trees show.

Somewhere in there, some really nice looking smoked salmon landed in our cart, and a quick google on the phone brought me to this recipe. A trip through our potted herbs on the patio rounded out the meal. The ability to wander a few feet from the side door and come back with a bowl brimming with random acts of herbs is one of my favorite parts of spring. That and the frothy crabapple out front even now being plied by dozens of hungry little bees.

Smoked salmon asparagus pasta

Adapted from The Splendid Table''s Penne With Smoked Trout, Cream and Asparagus

Ingredients

1 pound pasta, such as penne or farfalle

½ pound asparagus, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 packed cup of fresh herbs (I used basil, chives, lemon thyme, tarragon and marjoram)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup cream or half and half

8 ounces smoked fish, such as salmon or trout

 

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Chop asparagus into 2-inch pieces.

Add some salt and pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add asparagus to the pot and cook until pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil. Cook garlic until fragrant. Add herbs, lemon zest and juice, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Add smoked fish and cooked pasta and asparagus. Toss together, adding some pasta water if mixture seems dry. Serves 4.

Rating: Spring really did happen. A very nice combination of flavors makes a quick at-home evening meal, and is nice enough you wouldn't mind serving it to company. I used half and half because it's what I had on hand, and I think it was rich enough.

And all of it brought to you by one happy trunkload.