I am often inspired by recipes I find in the New York Times. Some days the paper runs no-recipe-recipes. Some ingredients are discussed with general instructions, very little is specific. Readers are encouraged to be imaginative as they assemble the ingredients into a fine meal. It sounds all too unfocused to work but it does. My recipe today is in that vein.
First, I like to use about 55g of pasta per person. The usual amount is 85g but both Judy and I find 85g is too much. And I like rigatoni as my go-to pasta. I'm not a big fan of spaghetti. I find the smaller pastas mix better with vegetables. I save spaghetti for serving with tomato sauce with meatballs.
For sauce, I drop about a lump of soft goat cheese, about 30g per person, into the pot of cooked pasta. For instance, for tonight's meal for two I used about 60g of goat cheese. Then, I pour a little hot pasta water into the pot. Always reserve about a cup of the hot pasta cooking water before draining the cooked pasta. The water is great for making sauce. I used about a quarter cup tonight.
And that is it. That's the end of the recipe. Now, you are on your own. Tonight I added about twenty spears of locally grown asparagus cut into one inch pieces. The stalks were gently fried in olive oil for no more than three minutes and the heads for just under a minute. When I added the asparagus heads to the already cooking asparagus stalks, I also added two minced garlic cloves and one minced Thai red pepper minus the seeds. Last, add salt to taste and a few grinds of fresh, black pepper, if you so desire.
I called Judy to dinner and while she was walking to the kitchen, I stirred about an eighth of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese into the mix along with about five finely chopped fresh basil leaves. And at the very last second, I mixed in a big handful of hot, cherry tomatoes which had been seared in a frying pan while the pasta cooked. This added colour to the mix without having time to discolour the pasta. At the table one can add a little more salt and a pinch of dried red pepper flakes.
I've also made this with shrimp and artichokes instead of asparagus. Fresh mushrooms make a nice addition. I like them cut into big chunks. Large mushrooms can be chopped into eight pieces and smaller ones into six.
Oh, if you don't like using just soft goat cheese and pasta water to make your sauce, try adding a little of your favourite tomato sauce to the melting goat cheese. The resulting sauce will have a lovely rose-pink colour and it is delicious.
Now, you are on your own. Good luck!
