Day One: Asparagus Pasta

While this is by far one of the easiest recipes I've ever tried, I always end up screwing it up some how. In the past I've burned the garlic, undercooked the asparagus, overcooked the pasta, added too little or too much red pepper or forgot an ingredient completely. That is why I was determined to add this specific recipe to my challenge.

The recipe is from my Aunt Christine who lives in Kentucky. She made it for my mom and Aunt Caryn when they visited for the first time. My mom loved it so much she cooked it for us as soon as she got home. Several years later and out of all the AMAZING dishes my mom cooks, my step dad, Dan, still requests Asparagus Pasta every time my mom asks what he wants for dinner. He has recently added Salmon Patties to that list too but that meal will certainly not be showing its face on my menu :)

So needless to say I felt a lot of pressure going into the first day of the challenge as well as this dish that kicks my ass EVERY time, but I did it and here is what happened...

Execution of the recipe was damn near perfect. My asparagus was cooked to perfection, my garlic was still its natural color, and the pasta was exactly how it should be...al dente. I did cut the red pepper down to half a teaspoon to keep the dish kid friendly since the garlic adds spice as well. I used closer to a third of a cup of oil to ensure that every noodle would be covered. To appeal to Austin, I used mini penne. I started the boiling water while preparing the asparagus and chopping the garlic. Right after I added the noodles to the water, I began to saute the asparagus in the already warmed oil, garlic and red pepper. Because I like tender asparagus, I sauteed them until the noodles were ready. I also had garlic bread in the oven. I drained the noodles and poured the entire contents of the saute pan over the noodles. I topped the whole dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I FORGOT TO TOSS THE PASTA WITH THE SAUCE.

The finished product

The Verdict:

Nicole- Thank goodness for Peyton because after five bites of food she decided she was so exhausted I could not take another bite before whisking her off to bed. I say thank goodness because before going upstairs with her I probably would have rated the dinner a 2. To me, it had absolutely no flavor. Again, textures were great, but taste was lacking. However, when I came back down to finish, aggravated, I moved the noodles around my bowl. To my complete surprise, it tasted 10 times better than the first five bites. I attribute this vast difference to really tossing the noodles around and letting the little penne fill themselves with garlicky oil and red pepper. With all this said, it still didn't knock my socks off proven by the fact that I was not a member of the clean plate club this evening. But...I do think it has potential to be great with some tweaking. I would use the correct amount of red pepper and more garlic next time. So after a very long winded explanation I give Asparagus Pasta a 3.

Paul- Gives it a 4. No other comments. So sweet, no matter how much I tell him I won't be offended by his response I'm pretty sure he thinks it is a loaded question.

Austin- I was afraid that even with less red pepper it would still be too spicy for him so I started by just giving him a piece of asparagus. His rating: Whipping the piece across the table at me when I wasn't looking and replying with, " No want to try it."

Side note: My very sweet little boy has never thrown food at me before; therefore, no number rating needed from him. Actions speak louder than words.

Asparagus Pasta

1 lb Penne Pasta

5 cloves garlic(chopped)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4- 1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Asparagus(as much or as little as desired)

Step 1: Wash and cut asparagus in 1-2 inch pieces

Step 2: In a saute pan, saute mixture(garlic,red pepper,olive oil, butter) on low for 2-3 minutes

Step 3: Add cut asparagus; Saute on low 8-10 minutes

Step 4: Pour mixture over noodles and toss well. Serve with Parmesan cheese(freshly grated works best)

**Serve with garlic bread and some great red wine