Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

Spring has finally sprung here in Vermont (well, sort of…) and last weekend I finally saw some asparagus at the farmer’s market. Thankfully, the farm I bought it from had managed to remain in production, while many local farms in Burlington and surrounding areas have had severe setbacks due to flooding. Unfortunately, we have another week of rain on our hands, so I imagine many farmers are going to experience further delays for most of their early season crops.

In any case, this dish just screams “spring” at you. The flavors are subtle and delicious and you can just feel that even more robust tastes are just around the corner. Tarragon is one of those highly underutilized and under-appreciated herbs that really shines alongside the goat cheese and lemon.  I adapted the recipe from Smitten Kitchen– adding some sauteed chicken breasts for protein and swapping in whole wheat pasta instead of the regular variety.

As a rule, I generally stick to the proportions of a recipe, even if it is supposed to serve 4 or 6 and I am not planning on having company. I find that leftovers make for easy and healthful lunches, which is key to not allowing the leftovers to go bad in your fridge. If you can convince your slightly finicky partner to eat them for dinner later in the week, more power to you. However, this is one dish where I think I will shrink the recipe in the future to the size that we will eat in that first sitting. The goat cheese makes a creamy, smooth sauce that just doesn’t translate in the subsequent re-heating of the dish.

Oh- by the way- did I mention that this takes less than 30 minutes to make? Perfect weeknight meal.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 6

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 pound whole wheat rotini (or other spiral shaped pasta)
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 TB
1 lemon’s worth of finely grated lemon peel and juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)

While the water for past begins to boil, salt and pepper your chicken breasts and saute them in a well-heated frying pan with about 1 TB of olive oil. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, you will want to saute them for anywhere from 4 minutes to 8 minutes per side. Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season generously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Add slices of chicken breast, toss and serve.

Beets make the world go round

Beets are my favorite food. I might be a little obsessed. If you haven’t yet, read Tom Robbins’ book Jitterbug Perfume and you will understand. You might even become a convert.

Anyways, beets are king at the winter farmer’s market.  We go to every winter market and I can never resist the beets. I buy the traditional red, golden and chioggia varieties and savor the beautiful color and earthy, sweet flavor of every bite.  This salad that I made is a veritable localvore dream and my own take on another Moosewood Cookbook favorite. At the last market, I was able to get some shallots and spinach from the Jericho Settlers’ Farm, the first greens of the season! I bought my delicious beet variety from the Full Moon Farm and last but not least, my delicious Doe’s Leap goat cheese. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the fresh local ingredients add a special punch to this salad. If you don’t already have a farmer’s market that you already frequent, you can find one near you here.

Roasted beet and shallot salad – adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook – Low Fat Favorites

Ingredients:
4-6 beets, any variety
3-5 shallots, depending on size
1 bag fresh spinach
goat cheese
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim ends of beets and wrap individually in foil. Peel shallots and wrap together in foil. When oven is preheated, put foil wrapped beets and shallots in the oven for 1 hour or until beets are tender. You can test this by inserting a fork into one of the beets, if it goes in and out smoothly, the beets are done. Unwrap beets and shallots, allow to cool. Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel them using your fingers and a paper towel (my favorite trick) or a peeler if you prefer. Slice shallots. Toss together with spinach and goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and finish with a dash of salt and pepper. Enjoy!