Pasta and Asparagus in Shallot Cream Sauce

                                    from Happyveganface

I love having someone to regularly cook for again. It makes my heart go squee.

I must admit, I think I have just a TAD bit of the domestic housewife in me. But the bad-ass, campy 1950s-type domestic housewife.

Or maybe the kind that greets her dinner-date decked out in garters, heels, and lingerie, with a spatula tucked against one hip and a dishrag tucked into her garter, and who spends the rest of her prep time bending over provocatively as she places items in the oven or whips up a frothy, sexy roux.

Either/or.

I may be a bit domesticated, but that don't mean I don't have any FUN in me.



Anyways, I cooked this for me and N-A last week. He's a fan of asparagus, as am I. So I decided to whip this up. (Though I must admit, part of my fandom is derived from the surprise you get when taking a leak after you've downed a bunch of it. I wish MORE foods messed with the smell of your pee.)

And seriously, Happyveganface: this recipe was DELISH for being so fricking simple.

I think I may be in love with the shallot, so that may be PART of why I liked it. But really: for a sauce with so few ingredients, this really was quite good. And despite it being a cream-type sauce, it's not too terribly heavy, so you can definitely get away with making it in the summer.

And since it's not super-heavy, you won't have to spend time sucking in that gut so that it doesn't droop over your garters as you make your date/significant other whip you up some dessert. (Either of the pie-variety, or the wink wink nudge nudge variety, depending. I may be domesticated, but I'm not stupid! Make them WORK for their dinner, goddammit!)

And now: unrelatedly:

I must share with you this magnet that my friend P got for me, because it cracks my shit up, and you should immediately go buy stuff from its creator on Etsy. (Buy at The Mincing Mockingbird.)


(Except the real version actually
HAS the swears in it! Hee hee. Swears!)

Totally rocking out my fridgerator.


* * * *




INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 small shallot(s), minced


• 3 large cloves garlic, minced


• 2 T. margarine


• 1 c. plain rice/soy milk


• 1 T. corn starch


• 1 T. nutritional yeast


• 1 large bunch of asparagus, cut into 2" pieces(& tough ends removed)


• 4 c. cooked pasta


• a pinch of sea salt


• 3 T. pine nuts, toasted


• 1 T. water


• 2 t. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve rice/soy milk + corn starch in the small mixing bowl and set aside.

In the large pan heat up oil on medium high heat. Once it's hot, add in the pieces of asparagus and saute for 3 minutes. Add 1 T. water to the pan & cover. Let this "steam" for about 3 more minutes. Uncover, cook for another minute, remove from heat & set aside (or cook for a little longer for more tender asparagus).

While your asparagus is cooking, heat margarine on medium heat. Once melted, add minced shallot & garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes (until garlic & shallots start to get really fragrant). Reduce heat just a tad. Whisk in nutritional yeast & rice milk/corn starch mix. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking about every minute or so. Once it's thickened up remove from heat & pour cream sauce over your pasta, top with sauteed asparagus & toasted pine nuts, and enjoy!

Makes 2 large portions or 4 small.

(recipe from happyveganface)