This is a combination of my favorite alfredo recipe with my own twist, and an adapted garlic and asparagus side dish that packs a full punch of flavor. I find that the most time consuming thing to do when cooking is prep — mainly garlic. Start with it first.
Since I love the Farmers’ Market the asparagus, sourdough bread, olive oil, and garlic features in this dish are from Fillmore Farmers’ Market.
Pasta — I used a funky mix of orange and green pasta that came in Farfalle, Ditalini, Fusini, Fiori, and Rotelle pasta. The more colorful your ingredients–the more unique the dish, in my opinion. :]
Alfredo–I was once told, “Real pesto is not made with Parmesan, but with Romano cheese.” So my thoughts are, why not Alfredo too? I took my favorite Alfredo recipe, from All Recipes, and put my own spin on it.
Melt 1/4 cup organic butter. Once melted, add 1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream and stir. Once melted and starting to get warm add 2-3 crushed garlic cloves (depending on your love for garlic. if not a fan, just use 1). Grate and slowly whisk in 2 1/2 cups of Romano cheese. Hand- grated tastes better, in my opinion. Leave on low heat and continue to whisk until you take off heat.
Pour on pasta and add Asparagus—1 bunch of asparagus sauteed in ~2 tablespoons of olive oil. I never measure Olive Oil because my Chico-grown olive oil tastes amazing–so I always add extra. Use good judgement, and if it sticks to the pan add a little more. Remember: you can always add more, you can’t always take out. After the Asparagus has cooked through and feels soft, not mushy, to the touch add 3-4 cloves crushed garlic and continue cooking over medium heat for 3 more minutes.
Once done, top your Alfredo pasta sauce off with Garlic Asparagus and top with extra Romano cheese. I also sliced up some Sourdough bread (a San Francisco treat) to complement the meal. Best with white wine.
Life is Delicious 