~ Farfalle w/Roasted Asparagus & Grape Tomatoes ~

Today we enjoyed our first thick, juicy outdoor-grilled steak of the Spring season.  Yes, Joe does grill off-and-on throughout the Winter, but, there's just something celebratory about the official opening day of grill season.  This simple, straightforward side-dish was the only thing I needed to turn a steak-on-a-plate into our entire meal, and, we gobbled it all up.  While this pasta dish goes great with chicken or shrimp tossed into it, I enjoy it the most served next to a steak.  That said, it is also well-balanced enough to be served "as is" as a dang-good meatless meal.

This has been a banner year for asparagus here in Central PA. They are plump and juicy, and, I've been binge-buying two-pounds of them every few days.  On Easter Sunday, I made my recipe for ~ It's Easy Being Green:  Cream of Asparagus Soup + (How to Choose, Store and Cook Asparagus too! ~.  You can get the recipe by clicking on the Related Article link below.  In preparation for making this side-dish tonight, I set all of the 2" tips aside, using only the stalks to make the soup.

2-2 1/2 cups 2"-long asparagus tips, taken from 2 pounds medium-thickness asparagus, about 6-8 ounces

(Note:  This dish looks prettier using all asparagus tips, so, when I'm making it for a special occasion, I use them exclusively, but, feel free to use 2" lengths of the stalks too, after discarding the woody ends from the bottom of the spears.)

2  cups grape tomatoes, cut in half, about 1 pint

3-4  tablespoons olive oil

freshly-ground sea salt and peppercorn blend

1  pound farfalle (bow ties), or any nontubular fork-friendly pasta like spirals or shells

(Note:  Since this pasta is not tossed with a liquid sauce, fork-friendly pasta that contains holes, like penne or rigatoni, end up bland tasting because there is no liquid to flow through their holes.)

1 1/2  cups well-drained fresh mozzarella pearls (perline), about 1, 8-ounce container

1 1/2  cups finely-grated locatelli cheese, or Parmigiano-Reggiano + 1/2 cup additional cheese for topping finished portions

3/4-1  cup chiffinade of fresh basil (Note:  "Chiffonade" is a French word that means  "little ribbons".)

~ Step 1.  Place asparagus and tomatoes in a 9" pie dish.  Add EVOO  and toss to coat.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.

Roast on center rack of preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, stopping to toss (with two tablespoons) every 6 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

~ Step 2.  In an 8-quart stockpot, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.  Sprinkle in the farfalle and cook until al dente, about 9-10 minutes.  Drain into a colander and immediately return pasta to the still hot stockpot.

~ Step 3. While pasta cooks, grate cheese and slice basil.

~ Step 4. Using two large spoons, toss in the vegetables and all EVOO in pie dish.  Toss in mozzarella and basil.  Toss in grated cheese.

Season to taste with more freshly-ground sea salt and liberally with more peppercorn blend.

A simple, straightforward and seriously Springy side-dish!!!

Portion into warm bowls & serve topped w/more grated cheese.  Open wide for a mouthful of this gloriously happy meal! 

Farfalle w/Roasted Asparagus & Grape Tomatoes:  Recipe yields 6-8 side-servings or 4 main-course servings.

Special Equipment List:  cutting board; chef's knife; 9" pie dish; two ordinary tablespoons; 8-quart stockpot; colander; microplane grater; two large spoons or salad servers

Cook's Note:  For a twist on this recipe (it doesn't contain pasta) that makes a tasty bed to serve grilled steak on, click into Categories 4 or 14 to get ~ Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Feta w/Balsamic Reduction ~.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2015

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