Spaghetti with Asparagus Pesto

This recipe was on the packaging of a bunch of asparagus I bought. To my surprise, it's as easy as it is delicious. Basil pesto is a staple around here, so this offers a nice alternative.

This makes enough pesto for several pounds of pasta.

1 lb fresh asparagus, with stiff bottoms broken off
3 fresh basil leaves (I used more, like 6)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 small clove raw garlic (I used a large one)
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
8 oz fine spaghetti or egg noodles

Cook the spaghetti al dente; drain and add 1 tbsp olive oil.

Put remaining 2 tbsp oil and remaining ingredients in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with pasta.

Green Beans With Chipotle Butter

The original recipe called for twice as much butter, which is delicious but not necessary. Serve with cornbread butternut squash and mushroom casserole.

This makes a *lot* of beans--1/2 a pound is more than enough for two people.

Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperatureunsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chile
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 pounds green beans, trimmed


Blend butter, chile, vinegar, and salt in mini processor until smooth.
Transfer to small bowl, do ahead can be made 3 days ahead.
Cover and chill.

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 5 minutes; drain and pat dry.
Do ahead can be made 3 hours ahead.
Let stand at room temperature.
Melt chipotle butter in large pot over medium high heat.
Add beans and toss until coated and heated through, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to bowl.
Chipotle chiles are dried, smoked jalapenos canned in a spicy tomato sauce, which is sometimes called adobo.
They are available at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and Latin markets.

Cauliflower Soup with Pecorino Romano and Truffle Oil

I used orange cauliflower, which added a little color. It was plenty cheesy already, so I didn't think it needed shavings on top, but maybe my cube was too big. It's cool how the cube of cheese flavors the cooking cauliflower and only gets shredded at the end. For the first time I really appreciated the flavor of the truffle oil in something I made.

From Bon Appetit. Serves 6.

2 oz (2 1/2 strips) applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups 1-inch pieces cauliflower (cut from 1 large head)
3 1/2 cups (or more) low salt chicken broth
1 3/4-inch cube of pecorino romano cheese, plus more shavings for serving
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
white or black truffle oil (for drizzling)

Saute bacon in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until golden brown and some fat renders. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook until veggies are soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add cauliflower, 3 1/2 cups broth, and cheese cube. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to the same pan. Add cream and bring soup to simmer. Thing with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls f desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill. Rewarm before adding cheese shavings and drizzling with truffle oil.

Silky butternut squash soup

I did a simplified version of this, where I bought the precut butt squash and steamed it over the sauteed shallots, to which I added less water than they called for. And added less cream. Saved the rest of the unused liquid (it doesn't need that much to get silky in the blender) to freeze, and made a even quicker batch a week later.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts, serving 4 to 6.
Published November 1, 2001. Cooks Illustrated
If you don’t own a folding steamer basket, a pasta pot with a removable pasta insert works well. Some nice garnishes for the soup are freshly grated nutmeg, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of paprika, or Buttered Cinnamon-Sugar Croutons (see related recipe).


INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots , minced (about 4 tablespoons)
3 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large), unpeeled, squash halved lengthwise, seeds and stringy fibers scraped with spoon and reserved (about 1/4 cup), and each half cut into quarters
Table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until foaming; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add squash scrapings and seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and butter turns saffron color, about 4 minutes. Add 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, place squash cut-side down in steamer basket, and lower basket into pot. Cover and steam until squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes. Off heat, use tongs to transfer squash to rimmed baking sheet; reserve steaming liquid. When cool enough to handle, use large spoon to scrape flesh from skin into medium bowl; discard skin.

2. Pour reserved steaming liquid through mesh strainer into second bowl; discard solids in strainer. Rinse and dry Dutch oven.

3. In blender, puree squash and reserved liquid in batches, pulsing on low until smooth. Transfer puree to Dutch oven; stir in cream and brown sugar and heat over medium-low heat until hot. Add salt to taste; serve immediately.