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I’ve talked about the magic of pasta water in the past. I say magic because it’s supposed to be magic, not because I completely have the hang of it in my own kitchen or anything.
As became quite obvious when we ate this clumpy mess, Gemelli with Asparagus, Ricotta, Arugula and Lemon Zest.
Don’t get me wrong. It was a tasty, clumpy mess. But clumpy nonetheless.
Even so, it’s a recipe I will definitely use again, because No. 1, I learned a lot. Namely, I learned that the order in which the original recipe advised me to add the ingredients was WRONG. No. 2, once I learned that, I saw that now that I understood the process, this pasta was a dish that could be made with any vegetable currently fresh — not just asparagus, which is so fleetingly in season in Colorado.
In fact, this is my last asparagus of the season, according to my farmer.
Let there be a moment of silence.
And now back to the pasta water issue.
The original recipe advised me to cook the asparagus, set it aside, cook the pasta and reserve the pasta water. Check. No problem. Then I was told to add ricotta cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, pasta water, lemon zest and vegetables (arugula and asparagus) all at once, and stir until well combined.
Um, no. Just no. The pasta water does melt the cheese, just like it’s supposed to. But it melts the cheese onto the surfaces with the most texture, meaning the vegetables and not the slick pasta. If you like cheese-clumped vegetables and plain pasta, that might be OK, but for us, not so much.
Therefore, I’ve adapted the Local Dish version of the dish to advise adding the water, cheese and lemon zest; stirring to combine; then stirring in the asparagus and arugula and heating long enough to warm the veg before serving.
Cheesy sauce on pasta. Cheesy sauce on veggies. No cheesy clumps. Score!
I hope that despite my clumps — which really weren’t bad, just annoying — you’ll give a pasta-water recipe like this a try. Now that asparagus is out of season — sob — I can use the same recipe but substitute zucchini, artichokes, butternut, spinach, bell peppers, broccoli or anything else at the market. Learning a simple technique that’s so flexible is a useful weapon in any cook’s arsenal.
