Spring's here!

Finally, I must say. It's been a really long and cold winter, the coldest since we moved to Modena, 5 years ago.
The first day of my favourite season. How did I spend it? Working, stuck at home, in front of my computer. Not that I complain, I got to translate (and see at the same time) Shutter Island. It's just that I wonder how come I always receive these assignments on Friday afternoon and they have to be delivered on Monday.
Whatever.
I always look forward to the change of seasons in particular, because you not only get to change and refresh your wardrobe, but you start introducing food to your menu that you've been waiting for a long time. Isn't it just exciting?
I really love, love asparagus. I bought a big bunch last weekend and used half for stuffing cannelloni, and then during the week made this quick pasta dish for myself. So this is not from today's menu but I liked it and it seemed like a perfect dish to share today.




Spring pasta

(4 servings)
400 g pasta
10-12 asparagus
about 10 cherry tomatoes
a bunch of arugula
2 cloves of garlic
200 ml low fat cooking cream
Salt, pepper
4 TBspoons EVOO

Wash and dry the asparagus, cut the tips off. Peel the rest of the stalks if they have hard skin and slice into just a few millimeters thick slices.
Sauté the asparagus (everything, the tips and the sliced part) in a skillet with the EVOO and the whole peeled garlic cloves, on medium high heat. Add the diced tomatoes and cook on slightly lower heat for 5 more minutes.
In the meantime, cook the pasta in a large pot of salty water, drain it and add to the skillet with the asparagus and tomatoes.

Add the cooking cream and the arugula, toss everything together and serve immediately.



Pasta ai sapori dell'orto

400 g pasta (tipo mezze maniche)
10-12 asparagi
circa 10 pomodorini
un mazzetto di rucola
2 spicchi d’aglio
200 ml panna
Sale, pepe
4 cucchiai di olio EVO

Lavate e asciugate gli asparagi, tagliate le punte, pelate i gambi e tagliateli a rondelle.
Saltate gli asparagi in una padella con l’olio e 2 spicchi d’aglio interi. Aggiungete i pomodorini tagliati a dadini e cuocete per altri 5 minuti. Salate e papate a piacere.
Cuocete la pasta al dente, scolatela e saltatela in padella con le verdure, panna e rucola.



Proljetna tjestenina

(za 4 osobe)
400 g tjestenine
10-12 šparoga
10-ak cherry rajčica
svežnjić rikule
2 češnja češnjaka
200 ml manje masnog vrhnja za kuhanje
sol, papar
4 žlice maslinovog ulja

Odrežite vrhove šparogama, a mekši dio stapke ogulite nožićem i narežite na kolutiće. Očistite češnjak. Rajčice prerežite na pola, izvadite sjemenke pa ih narežite na kockice.
Izdinstajte šparoge (vrhove i kolutiće) u tavi s maslinovim uljem i češnjakom. Dodajte rajčice, posolite i popaprite po ukusu pa nastavite dinstati još 5 minuta.
Skuhajte tjesteninu u slanoj vodi, ocijedite je i dodajte povrću. Dodajte vrhnje i rikulu i kratko još sve miješajte na vatri da se sastojci povežu. Poslužite odmah dok je toplo.