Fusilli with anchovies and baby asparagus

November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie

For someone who loves the rain ad infinitum, you can bet your last peso that I’ve been making the most of the past few nights’ cool weather just reading and writing. The downside is that I get up very late in the morning. Yesterday, I woke up at eleven o’clock. After my coffee and bathroom rituals, I had about 30 minutes to prepare lunch.

No time to thaw anything from the freezer so I checked the pantry instead wondering if I could make a quick pasta dish. Fusilli: check. Anchovies: check. Canned diced tomatoes: check. There was no shortage on onions and garlic. Oregano and basil grow in the garden. And… in the fridge — two bunches of baby asparagus. Perfect!

Here’s lunch for 4.

Ingredients:

200 g. of fusilli (or your favorite pasta shape)
4 tbsps. of olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 large white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 c. of diced tomatoes (I use canned)
leaves from 2 stalks of oregano, finely sliced (or about 1/2 tsp. of dried oregano)
1/4 c. of red wine
salt, pepper and a little sugar
1 can of anchovies in olive oil
about 150 g. of baby asparagus, cut into 1-1/2 inch lengths
grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about two minutes. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes. Add the oregano. Bring to the boil. Pour in the red wine. Cook over high heat, uncovered, until slightly reduced, about four minutes. Add the anchovies with the oil, stirring to break up the fillets. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is done, adding the asparagus during the last two minutes of cooking.

Take about 1/4 c. of water from the pasta and pour into the sauce (the starch will help thicken the sauce a bit). Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss to coat each piece of pasta with sauce.

Top with grated Parmesan to serve.

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