summer pasta

I haven’t been cooking much. It’s just too hot! But over the weekend, I put my big-girl pants on, braved the heat and hit the stove. I’ve made this pasta before and added shrimp to it. It is refreshing and tasty both ways.

Of course, dinner was served inside. I can not wait to eat al fresco again. October can not get here soon enough! How are you all coping with the heat? If you have any fun ideas or tips, please leave them in the comments, I really need ’em.

Summer Vegetable Fettuccini

• 1 pound fettuccini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 ears corn
• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 1 pound asparagus
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Roughly chopped Italian parsley for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a tablespoon or 2 of salt and cook the pasta according to package directions or until al dente. Lift out the pasta with a slotted spoon or spider and place in a colander to drain. Save the water for blanching the asparagus.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and then cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Set out a bowl of ice water.

Bring the water back to a boil and drop the asparagus pieces in for 45 seconds, use a slotted spoon or spider to lift out the asparagus, and drop into the ice water to stop the cooking, cool and crisp. Drain and set aside.

Add the butter, corn, and 1 cup of the Parmesan into the broth and cook, uncovered until the sauce thickens slightly about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and asparagus.

Add the drained pasta, season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4