Back of the Pantry

As the end of the school year drew to a close last week, I [naively] thought Great, the kids are on summer vacation! No more homework, no need to pack lunches, no alarm clocks! Time to rest. Aaah.

Wrong.

I forgot a few details. Like gymnastics recitals. And a dear visitor from out of town. And summer camps that require packed lunches, a lot of driving, a lot of waiting in my car, and…alarm clocks.

This week turned out to be busier than I expected, so busy that I haven’t had a chance to do some proper food shopping. So when it came time to prepare dinner tonight, I hadn’t the foggiest clue what to do. I figured I would dig deep, to the neglected items in the back of my pantry, and see what I could pull together. You know we all have those items that just get pushed back…and forgotten.

This is the type of cooking that can either result in a spark of genuine inspiration or something extremely awful.

What I pulled out of my pantry: penne pasta, garlic, a shallot, a tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil.

In my refrigerator, I had: prosciutto, Parmegianno-Regianno, some beautiful shiitake mushrooms and a few bouquets of asparation.

Are you familiar with asparation? It is also known as baby broccoli or, even cuter, broccolini. A tender cruciferous, with long stalks like asparagus, but the florets of broccoli, it is sweet and delicious. We actually like it grilled (I know, that’s a big surprise).

The ingredients came together with the help of a bit of cream as Penne with Asparation, Shiitake Mushrooms & Prosciutto. As I took my first bite, I breathed a sigh of relief. The saltiness from the prosciutto and anchovy melted together with the freshness of the asparation and muskiness of the shiitake. You know what? I will definitely make this again.

Penne with Asparation, Shiitake Mushrooms & Prosciutto

1lb dried penne
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup finely diced prosciutto (or ham)
3-4 anchovy fillets
3 cups Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
Salt to taste
1 bunch asparation, about 15 stalks, cut into ½ inch pieces, stalks and florets separated
½ cup cream
Parmegianno-Regianno Cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne pasta according to instructions.

In a large, heavy saute pan, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, saute for about a minute. Add red pepper flakes, prosciutto and anchovy fillets, mashing the anchovies into a paste as you incorporate it into the ingredients.

When the shallots are translucent and the prosciutto crisp, add the shiitake mushrooms and asparation stalks, season with a little salt. Saute until the mushrooms soften, adding a little olive oil if it starts to dry out.

Add the asparation florets, about an 1/8 cup of pasta water and saute. Stir in the cream. Add the penne to the saute pan and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

by Liren on June 17, 2010

28 Comments

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The Housewife — June 18, 2010 @ 12:06 am (#
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It’s great when on the fly creations work, especially at the end of the day when you’re tired but made an effort! Beautiful picture :)
- Liren replied: — June 21st, 2010 @ 12:08 am
  
  Me too :) You hit the nail on the head – after a long day, there’s nothing better than success in the kitchen and a yummy meal.
denise @ quickies on the dinner table — June 18, 2010 @ 5:47 am (#
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Thank God for store cupboard dinners!! This looks so appetising Liren! I have tried broccolini and love it! This really doesn’t look like a back of the cupboard meal at all :)
- Liren replied: — June 21st, 2010 @ 12:07 am
  
  Aw, thanks Denise! Sometimes these throw together meals can be surprising!
Jean — June 18, 2010 @ 7:11 am (#
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It’s beautiful, Liren. Sounds like stuff I would have found in my pantry/fridge. I love pasta with anchovies, yum!
- Liren replied: — June 21st, 2010 @ 12:06 am
  
  Thanks, Jean! Yup, it’s all basic ingredients – I’m glad I’m not the only one who likes pasta with anchovies!
citronetvanille — June 18, 2010 @ 7:35 am (#
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I had no idea that was called asparation, I always call it either broccoli rabe or borccolini! either way, they’re delicious like in this beautiful pasta dish, the shiitake add so much flavor that I know these penne are simply delicious! Hope next weeks slows down, have a great weekend!
- Liren replied: — June 21st, 2010 @ 12:04 am
  
  I’ve called it broccolini, too, but more and more I’m seeing it referred to as asparation. Either way, I agree, it’s such a delicious veggie! Thanks for the wishes, I’m looking forward to a calmer next week :)
Nirmala — June 18, 2010 @ 10:29 am (#
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Beautiful blog. You have a lot of amazing recipes. Thanks for sharing.
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
  
  Thank you Nirmala! Welcome, I’m so glad you dropped by!
Baking Serendipity — June 18, 2010 @ 3:02 pm (#
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I’m not too familiar with asparation, but it looks fantastic in this recipe!
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
  
  Tastes just like broccoli – if you like your little trees, you’ll love asparation/broccolini!
norma — June 19, 2010 @ 4:01 am (#
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This worked out quite well. I like the combination.
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
  
  Thanks Norma, I do too!
bunkycooks — June 19, 2010 @ 12:06 pm (#
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What a great looking desperation dinner! We all have some of these moments, but it looks as though yours turned out quite well.
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:58 pm
  
  Thanks!! For a desperation dinner, at least it was fairly pretty :) I was just relieved it tasted so good – can’t go wrong with prosciutto in pasta!
SMITH BITES — June 19, 2010 @ 5:02 pm (#
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I’m having one of those weeks as well; getting back from vacay and having emptied the fridge before we left, have had to dig deep and be extra creative! I love pasta and pasta with mushrooms, proscuitto and some greens – even better!
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:57 pm
  
  Oh, I completely understand! After a vacation, sometimes it can be hard to get back in the swing of things! Between laundry and unpacking, trips to the market can be tiring!
A Little Yumminess — June 20, 2010 @ 4:32 pm (#
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Penne with Inspiration!! Yummmmmm…great photo as always
- Liren replied: — June 20th, 2010 @ 11:56 pm
  
  Thanks!! Yes, the asparation was inspiration :)
Marly — June 21, 2010 @ 11:45 am (#
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I love broccoli…but I never thought of it as such a beautiful flower before. Your pic is inspiring. And so is your site. Looking forward to return visits!
- Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:48 am
  
  Thank you Marly! I’m so glad you are enjoying my blog!
The Rowdy Chowgirl — June 21, 2010 @ 2:00 pm (#
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Is there anything penne can’t fix? I do the same thing when I’m out of time or groceries–boil up the penne and start adding whatever I have. It always turns out delicious!
Magic of Spice — June 21, 2010 @ 5:37 pm (#
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Oh I love broccolini…Great selection of flavors here:)
- Liren replied: — June 24th, 2010 @ 12:44 am
  
  Thanks! They really do work nicely together :)
Mushrooms Canada — June 23, 2010 @ 8:54 am (#
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This looks absolutely mouthwatering! The meatiness of the shiitakes would compliment the prosciutto and pasta very well. This would also taste fabulous with a mixture of shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

Thanks for sharing!
- Brittany
wannafoodie — June 25, 2010 @ 12:57 pm (#
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This sounds heavenly! And you’ve given me the snippet that I learned today… I had NO IDEA that broccolini was also called aspiration. Fantastic little bit of info!
- Liren replied: — June 26th, 2010 @ 12:42 am
  
  Yes, isn’t it interesting how it has so many different names??