The pasta was amazing. It was wonderful the day of, reheated well (twice) and eaten cold the next day. The veggies were incredibly fresh, organic and as local as possible. Behold! The asparagus, the gorgeous kale with the whites of a green onion sliced on top and the cubed zucchini. Holy green overload, Batman! Check out that energy waiting to happen. There. Don’t you feel better about the pasta and the sexy cheese to come?? Yeah. You’re welcome. Guilt trips are passe.
Let’s skip the boring part about boiling pasta in salted water, cooking to al dente. Your know that. High fives for assumed intelligence! I’m full of the “feel goods” today. Maybe its the rain? For the record the rain hasn’t happened yet. This is Arizona, after all, and this state loves nothing more than teasing me with the prospect of rain. The clouds. The wind. The severely lower temperatures. This should be rain, right? We shall see… This WOULD happen the weekend we go camping. I should know better. It rains on my birthday every year. That is not me being dramatic or exaggerating at all. I am absolutely serious about this weather fact. I’m more accurate than any forecaster, sans degree.
But I’m more than off topic.
While the pasta is cooking and your kale is wilting, make a roux using equal parts high quality, unsalted butter and flour. Let the flour cook out completely, so that your sauce is the best it can be. Floury cheesy is not part of pleasey. When you can no longer smell the flour, it is time to add cream. Slowly pour while whisking out any clumps. I used 2 cups to cover a pound. When the cream is all in, throw in some whole thyme, stems and all. These will be retrieved when the sauce is done thickening, about 5 minutes. Oh and be seasoning the whole time. Using unsalted butter lets you have total control of the flavor, but if youre all about avoiding the facts of how much salt it takes to make something taste good, go ahead and use the presalted. I hate to break it to you, but youre still going to add salt. White pepper is the sneaky, fast flavor, but I prefer the black, rustic look. Season til yums.
Pull the sauce off of the heat and grate some amazing Parmesan cheese into the sauce. Go nuts. Stir, stir, stirrr….and if you’re me then you’re thinking “oh yeah, it can take more cheese…” grate, grate, grate… At the end of this sauce journey, you should be left with a smooth, sexy, shiny cheese sauce. Pour this over your sauteed veggies, mixing well. And then bring the pasta to the party.
Enjoy.
Lena Dee Cooks 