Spring is here! With it comes beautiful vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes that we can add to our late winter seasonal bounty. I’ve been eating a ton of asparagus lately because it’s been so abundant at the markets and I just can't resist a price like $1.99/lb. I usually eat it sautéed in my cast iron pan with oil, lemon, herbs and toasted nuts, but this time I decided to add it to a beautifully green pasta to give it a nice crunch and flavor.
Instead of basil or parsley for a pesto base, I used some lovely dandelion greens. If you don’t like the distinct bitterness of dandelion greens, you can substitute it with another green or seasonal herb.
I originally planned on using penne or another smaller firm noodle, but when I got home, I realized I didn’t have any. ERR! I reasoned with myself and decided not to go back to town to pick some up so I just used half box of linguini that I already had in the pantry. Anyway, it ended up turning out quite good and very green!
Dandelion Pesto Pasta with Pan-Grilled Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts
4 large servings
Vegetarian
8 oz. of pasta such as linguini or penne
4 medium artichokes
1 bunch asparagus
2 Tbs. pine nuts
Pesto (below)
Marinade (below)
Pesto:
1 bunch dandelion greens
¼ toasted pine nuts
¼ c. parmesan
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinade:
3 Tbs. Olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh sage, finely chopped
1 Tbs. fresh oregano, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
First, put enough water in the bottom of a steamer to cook artichokes for 45 minutes, about 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Cut the tops off of your artichokes. Then, cut off the stem and mark it with and X. This will allow the artichokes to cook more quickly. Place the artichokes (with stems) in the steamer with 3 cloves of garlic.
While the artichokes are steaming, start the pesto by toasting the pine nuts. Heat a saute pan and add the pine nuts when the pan is sufficiently heated. To prevent burning and ensuring that the pine nuts are evenly toasted, agitate the nuts by shaking in a circular motion or tossing. When the pine release their aromas and start to brown, remove from pan and set aside.
Cut the bottoms off the dandelion greens and wash the tops. Place the tops of the greens in a food processor with the oil and lemon juice and pulse a few times.
After about 15 minutes of steaming, remove the garlic from the steamer, pop it out of the peel, and add to the food processor. Also add the some of the pine nuts and parmesan and pulse until desired consistency.
To make marinade, whisk together all ingredients. Place asparagus on a rimmed sheet. Pour ¾ of the marinade over the asparagus and toss to coat.
At this time, start cooking pasta by boiling a pot of water, then adding your pasta and salt.
Heat a stove-top grill pan until hot then add the asparagus.
While the asparagus is browning, test the artichokes to see if they’re finished by removing a few leaves at different parts of the vegetable. If the leaves come out easily and the flesh can be easily eaten, then they’re done. Remove them from the pot and carefully remove the leaves until you can see the heart. After scooping out the flesh, cut the heart into bite size pieces. Taste the stems to see if they're bitter. If they have a nice flavor, you can use those too. Place them in the marinade dish and pour remaining marinade onto them.
After the asparagus has achieved grill marks and has browned, remove and add artichoke hearts. Meanwhile, remove pasta from stove (when finished cooking) and strain. Mix about ¾ cup of pesto into the pasta and toss with pan-grilled asparagus and artichoke, some toasted pin nuts, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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