Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus and Pine Nuts

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus and Pine Nuts

Cooking for vegetarians can sound so intimidating - nightmares of tofu and soy milk?!? But when you consider all of the wondeful vegetables that are available right now, it's really not hard at all. Pasta is always a safe bet, served with a salad it can easily make a complete meal. This recipe was recently featured on Everyday Italian (yes my favorite chef!) as a 'sauceless pasta', but I decided to make it a bit more 'saucey' by adding some marsala wine and substituting pine nuts for walnuts (the recipe orignally called for). The marscapone cheese makes this pasta so creamy and delicious - rich yet light. Farfalle actually means bowtie in italian and is a very hearty pasta shape that holds sauces very well. You could easily add chicken to this recipe if you don't want vegetarian.

origin - Giada DeLaurentis
difficulty - easy
health meter - medium

1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese
2 cups marsala wine
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup cold water with 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted *I used pine nuts instead
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan *I increased this to 2/3 cup

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. (I didn't need the extra water because I made a true sauce)

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. Remove from pan and add the marsala wine to the same pan, reduce by half over medium high heat. Add the light cream and let simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add marscapone and parmesean cheese, and nutmeg. Add the mushrooms and asparagus back (you don't leave them in the sauce because they would overcook) Add the farfalle and garnish with pine nuts, serve. 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 (or pine nuts). 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.