Pasta With Mushrooms Walnuts Asparagus And Apples Recipes

CREAMY FARFALLE WITH CREMINI, ASPARAGUS, AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the farfalle. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 1/2 cup of walnuts. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts. Serve.

CREAMY MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS PASTA (GF)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written), garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written), mushrooms, and asparagus. Season with a healthy pinch each salt and pepper and stir.
• Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are slightly browned and the asparagus is tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. (If you prefer more tender asparagus, cook longer. If you prefer it with more bite, cook 2-3 minutes.)
• At this time, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with sea salt. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
• Lower heat on the skillet to low and add olive oil (2 Tbsp as original recipe is written) and minced garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
• To a blender add remaining raw minced garlic (2 cloves as original recipe is written), sautéed garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written), vegan cream cheese, almond milk, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, red pepper flake, and another healthy pinch sea salt and black pepper.
• Blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for cheesiness, raw garlic for zing, red pepper flake for heat, lemon juice for acidity/brightness, or salt for saltiness. Mix once more and add back to skillet.
• Heat the sauce over medium heat to warm until slightly bubbly, then reduce heat to low to keep warm. Stir occasionally.
• Add cooked drained pasta directly to the sauce along with sautéed asparagus and mushrooms. Toss to coat and enjoy immediately with additional vegan parmesan cheese. Fresh parsley would also make a fresh, colorful garnish.
• Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a bit of almond milk if it's dried out.

WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, ASPARAGUS AND FAVAS

Steps:

• Begin heating a large pot of water while you shell the favas. Fill a bowl with cold water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the asparagus. Blanch thin stalks for 3 minutes, thicker ones for 4 to 5. Transfer to the cold water, drain and cut into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Bring the water back to a boil and add the favas. Boil 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the beans. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes, and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have begun to soften and sweat, about 3 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, fragrant and juicy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and favas and remove from the heat but keep warm.
• Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente, using the timing instructions on the package as a guide but checking the pasta a minute before the time indicated is up. When the pasta is ready, use a ladle to transfer 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the vegetables and another 1/2 cup to a bowl, in case you want more to moisten the mixture. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the vegetables and basil. Add more of the cooking water if desired. Serve hot, passing the Parmesan at the table.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
• 2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
• 5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.
• 6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.
• 7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.
• Your Nightly Specials
• Mushrooms: Instead of using the cremini, use 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms.
• Dried Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms like porcini, morel, and chanterelle offer a quick way to add flavor to cooking and are especially useful in the off season or winter months. Always rinse dried mushrooms under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt and sand, then reconstitute them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain, and strain the liquid. Save the liquid for soups and sauces. Keeping a small packet of dried mushrooms, which costs just a few dollars, in your pantry will five earthy flavor on demand.
• Use a spice grinder to grind dried porcini to a powder. This seasoning powder will very economically make a full pot of risotto taste like a much more costly version, something many restaurants do to make flavors pop. Add 1 tablespoon to the finished mushrooms for a powerful and full flavor at an economical price.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Fresh porcini are among the most delicious of mushrooms. When they are available each fall, by all means use them, although they are expensive and need to be cooked as quickly as possible because they are highly perishable.
• Add 1/2 cup of blanched and shocked fresh or frozen peas, spincach, and/or broccoli buds.
• Toss some shredded, leftover roasted turkey or duck meat into the pan along with the cooked pasta.

GIADA'S SAUCELESS PASTA- SO GOOD

Steps:

• cut asparagus into 1-2 inch pieces.
• in a large skillet, (deep if you have it) melt butter.
• saute mushrooms and asparagus.
• meanwhile, cook pasta in water with salt according to package.
• drain pasta, reserving a cup of the salty starchy water.
• add the pasta to the cooked mushrooms and asparagus.
• stir in the mascarpone and parmesan cheese.
• add water if you need to (i usually only add a couple TBS).
• add nutmeg.
• garnish with nuts and extra parmesan.
• **sometimes I add cajun chicken or shrimp on top too!