If cooking was a Hollywood movie, oil would be relegated to a very small supporting role. A couple of lines, nothing memorable, nothing to build a career on.
Frankly, with the way most generic vegetable oils taste, that’s a proper casting. Your average corn, canola or sunflower oil doesn’t have have much personality: it may be hard to tell them apart, unless you’re really paying attention. Made that way, oil is pretty much something to avoid food from sticking to the pad or to help prevent spices and herbs from burning, when basted on roasted meat, for instance. But as something to heighten a dish’s flavors?
The notable exception to this is, of course, extra-virgin olive oil, whose varied taste, Read More
Cooking Live: Penne with asparagus, parmesan and lemon
My last variation on this recipe, including some tiny cubes of home cured ham. (Photo from old cell phone, sorry about the image quality).
I discovered this simple recipe last year at Tastecamp, when David Page, of Shinn Vineyards, in Long Island, made it for a group of bloggers attending this blogger meeting. Simple, delicious. I must have gone back for three servings. It was just a great balance of flavors – and it went pretty well with the couple of sauvignon blancs from Macari Vineyards and Jamesport Vineyards that were being served with the meal – along with a barrel sample of the wonderful 2007 Shinn Cabernet Franc, a truly remarkable cuvée.
Anyhow, the recipe was so simple that I managed to adapt it very easily. I’ve prepared it twice over the last year, with little variations each time. The kids and adults around the table always make it disappear in a flash.
First, steam the asparagus until they are still bright green and just al dente. Cool them down immediately in very cold water (adding ice cubes helps), leave them for a few minutes and drain them when they are cool to the touch.
Get some water boiling for the pasta while you Read More »