10 fresh asparagus spears, cut in 1-1/2 inch lengths
2 cups sweet red pepper in 2-inch strips
1/2 cup butter
1-1/4 cups all-purpose cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Blanch each vegetable separately in boiling salted
water for 2 to 3 minutes, until just barely tender.
Drain and rinse under cold running water to halt
the cooking process
This step can be done 4 to 6
hours before you are ready to serve
Store the
blanched vegetables in a covered container in the
refrigerator
(Note: If you are substituting cherry
tomatoes or mushrooms for the vegetables above,
do not blanch
Instead, saute in a little olive oil
with a minced garlic clove
Cook tomatoes until
soft; they should still retain their shape
Cooking
mushrooms for about 3 minutes.)Melt the butter in
a large saucepan
Stir in the cream and Parmesan
cheese
Cook over low heat until the cheese is melt-
ed
Keep warm
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet
Add the pine nuts and cook over medium-low heat
until pale gold
Add the garlic, blanched vegeta-
bles,and parsley
Stir gently until the vegetables are
heated through, 3 to 5 minutes
Remove from the
heat and keep warm in a large bowl
To serve,
pour the warm cream sauce over hot pasta
(spaghetti or fusilli is recommended) and toss thor-
oughly
(If the sauce is too thick, thin with addi-
tional cream.) Add one-third of the vegetables to
the pasta and toss again
Season with salt and pep-
per
Divide the pasta among 4 heated plates and
spoon the remaining vegetables over each serving
