Ralph wrote down this recipe in May 1997, and I don't remember where he got it from, but I know he really loved it, and we served this many times for dinner with friends, and also whenever we just wanted something simple and delicious. There is something about smashed asparagus combined with leeks, mushrooms and the other ingredients that make this pasta sauce very special.
Ingredients:
- 2 leeks, cleaned, chopped fine, use the white parts only
- 1 zucchini, julienned in thin 2-3" strips
- 1/4 lb. mushrooms, preferably shitake, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 3/4 lb. asparagus - cleaned* and steamed 6 minutes, chopped and mashed, saving the tips for final addition to the sauce (Ralph found the smaller thinner asparagus was a little more flavorful for this dish than the larger asparagus)
- A couple of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- Olive oil
- Water
- Herbs: dried oregano and marjoram, or Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
*break off the hard part of the asparagus stem, then remove a portion of the green part at the end with a vegetable peeler (just to remove the toughest outer layer)
Directions:
- Clean and steam the asparagus as mentioned above.
- Saute leeks in olive oil, after 5-6 minutes, add the mushrooms and garlic.
- Put the asparagus in ice water to shock (retains the color) and drain and mash as noted above.
- Add the asparagus to the mushrooms, and add the zucchini. Continue to cook until nice and soft, adding water if it gets too dry.
- Flavor with herbs, salt and pepper.
- Add extra olive oil as to continue to saute the asparagus sauce, to keep moist. Add red pepper flakes if you want to spice it up a little.
Use this sauce over penne pasta or other pasta of your choice. This could also be used over sauteed chicken breasts.