asparagus and avocado pasta with garlic and parsley

What a beautiful blue sky today!  Moving into February, the bitter cold slowly warmed, with two pretty snowstorms with light  snowflakes (as opposed to that freezing rain/snow glop we had in January)  that were a joy to shovel.  I even braved going down to Norway Pond and taking a little walk on the snow covered ice.  Looks like the tundra, doesn't it?

Then a light lunch with the new pencil-thin asparagus, farfalle (bow-tie) pasta, and avocado, sharpened with garlic and parmesan, finished with Italian parsley.  Sigh.  What a wonderful Monday!

Asparagus and avocado pasta

a small handful of very thin new asparagus (about 10 stalks)
1 1/2 cups farfalle pasta
2 T. unsalted butter
1 large clove of garlic, minced
Half an avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
a few cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
1/2 t. dried basil (or fresh, if you have it, I didn't)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan
kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon over all

Adapted from Everyday Food 2006

Gently bend the bottoms of the asparagus stalks until they snap off easily, leaving the most tender parts of the stalk.  Cut the asparagus into 2 inch pieces.

Fill a medium saucepot with water, add a bit of salt and bring to a boil.  Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove asparagus to a bowl with a slotted spoon but do not drain the water off.
Bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes.  Remove half a cup of the pasta water, and drain off the rest.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the pasta pot, add the asparagus and garlic, and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, basil, parsley, the pasta water, the parmesan, the second tablespoon of butter, and the avocado and cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat..  Remove and taste for seasonings, then squeeze a little lemon juice over the pasta before serving.

Serve with extra parmesan.

A year ago:  Sweet Pink Valentine cookies