Orangey Kalamata Fettucine with Asparagus

So the other day, I had the world's most specific craving: asparagus, orange juice, and kalamata olives.

No: I am not pregnant.

Thankfully, however, I was at the grocery store, so I picked up all of the above for dinner. Playing on a variation of the whole Roasted Asparagus with Orange Gremolata pasta idea, I decided to whip up a quickie fettuccine dish. (I just now realized that I think I've been spelling fettuccine wrong.)

And fuck if it wasn't tasty. No seriously: right now. On top of your desk. Or bent over your kitchen table. Or in the shower. Do it.

Ha.

Anyways, I actually liked it much better than the aforementioned gremolata dish. It didn't have the bitterness of the orange rind. And the saltiness of the kalamata olives tickled the sweet oranginess in just the right way.

Unfortunately, I didn't write down any specific measurements. And unfortunately, I just whipped up one gut-busting serving for myself. So this recipe won't have a whole lot of specificity to it. But consider it a jumping point to explore your own variation.

INGREDIENTS:

• One generous serving of fettuccine noodles


• 10-12 kalamata olives, pitted and diced


• Juice from one orange


• 3-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced


• About 4-6 stalks of asparagus, cut diagonally into thirds


• 1-2 T. olive oil


• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Toss in your garlic until fragrant. Add your asparagus and cook until nearly tender, maybe 5 minutes or so. Add your orange juice and kalamata olives and heat a couple minutes more until just warm. Grind some fresh black pepper into your sauce and serve over your fettuccine.

Serves 1-2.