| Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Mr. Gus Aspara Good morning, all. Sometimes, cooking is like writing: You have a bunch of characters or ingredients, and a pile of words or techniques, and you have to figure out how to put them together in just the right ways to form sentences or dishes that make sense and are pleasant to consume. I've written a lot about pesto in this newsletter, and that's probably because it's a sauce that's so easy to remix. I was delighted when I found this variation in The Post's recipe archives, because it's perfect for spring. After winter's hardier greens have gone slack and before summer's basil is tall and sturdy, there's asparagus. No one was more surprised than I was to read that asparagus makes a fine, supremely creamy pesto. The recipe is from "Good Veg: Ebullient Vegetables, Global Flavors, a Modern Vegetarian Cookbook," by Alice Hart, and it's a little more involved than a fresh basil pesto, but it's efficient, too: Start by cutting the asparagus into 2-inch pieces — discard the woody ends, save the pretty tips for later — and boil the meaty middle pieces for a few minutes. Scoop the tender asparagus into a food processor, then start cooking some pasta in the same asparagus-scented water. After the pasta cooks, drain it and reserve a cup of the asparagus-pasta water. In the same pan, saute the asparagus tips until they're bright green. Transfer them to a plate. Then, add basil, garlic, almonds, lemon juice and zest, Parmesan and olive oil to the food processor with the cooked asparagus and blitz it until you've got a smooth, pale green sauce. Put the cooked pasta back in the pan, along with some cannellini beans and the asparagus pesto. Turn on the heat, and stir, stir, stir, adding a few splashes of the reserved pasta water as you go, until a creamy sauce forms. Pile the pasta into plates and garnish each with the asparagus tips, basil and more cheese. Voila! Spring pesto pasta.  | Today's recipe |  Photos by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post | Penne With Asparagus Pesto and White Beans - Out of asparagus? >> Try this with spring broccoli, kale or spinach.
- The whole-wheat pasta is nice here >> but this will work fine with regular or gluten-free pasta, too.
- I wouldn't skip the basil >> but you can. Use parsley or arugula instead.
- No almonds? >> Use cashews or sunflower seeds.
Where to Buy: Vegetarian Parmesan (dairy cheese that does not use animal rennet) is made by such companies as Sargento and BelGioioso and can be found in Whole Foods Markets and other stores. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe in our Recipe Finder. Servings: 6
Active time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins Ingredients - 12 ounces (1 large bunch) asparagus
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- 12 ounces dried whole-wheat penne, or another short pasta shape
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small bunches basil (1 loosely packed cup)
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, or more as needed, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
- 1/2 cup vegetarian Parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus more for serving (see headnote)
- One 15-ounce can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
Steps1. Trim and discard the tough/woody ends of each asparagus spear. Cut the tips with about a thumb's length of stalk and reserve them; cut the remaining stalks into 2-inch lengths. 2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat, add the teaspoon of salt and the 2-inch pieces of stalks; cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a food processor. 3. Bring the water in the saucepan to a boil, stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions, or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. 4. Return the (now-empty) saucepan to high heat. Add the asparagus tips and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat (you'll use the pan one more time) and transfer the tips to a plate. 5. Stack, roll tightly and cut a few large basil leaves into ribbons; reserve for garnish. 6. Combine the garlic, almonds and the remaining basil in the food processor (with the asparagus pieces). Add the tablespoon of lemon juice and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil; pulse to form a coarse puree, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times. Add the lemon zest and vegetarian Parmesan; pulse a few times to incorporate and form the pesto. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt, as needed. 7. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat. Add the drained pasta, along with the beans and the asparagus pesto. Toss gently to incorporate, adding just enough of the reserved pasta cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, to create a creamy sauce. 8. Once the pasta has warmed through, divide it among warmed bowls or plates. Top each portion with some sauteed asparagus tips, basil ribbons and more cheese, and serve. Adapted from "Good Veg: Ebullient Vegetables, Global Flavors, a Modern Vegetarian Cookbook," by Alice Hart (The Experiment, 2017). Tested by Joe Yonan. Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 410; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Sodium: 450 mg; Carbohydrates: 55 g; Dietary Fiber: 9 g; Sugar: 3 g; Protein: 15 g.  | Dessert | 🎧 "Déjà Vu" by Toro y Moi.
📺 Maid of Honor on SNL.
📖 "Learning the Right Way to Struggle" by Jenny Anderson in the New York Times.
👀 Wiggles.
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