Past few days might have been the most humdrum foodie days of our lifetime. There hasn’t been any cooking happening in our house, and actually not much eating either. I won’t go into the details today, but it’s really been a difficult time. I might feel like writing about it some other time, today is definitely not the day.

One good thing that happened out of this near starvation was that I got a new found appreciation for an old favorite. Don’t laugh; I am talking about Red Robin. Yes, that Red Robin. About a decade ago, when we first came to this country dining out meant Chili’s or Red Robin. After we slowly graduated to finer restaurants, the old favorites have been forgotten. These days it seems we only appreciate certain genres of restaurants. On one side the expensive fine dining restaurants and the happening nightspots, and on the other side the hole-in-the-wall, one of a kind places where you get really great food for really low prices. The broad range of restaurants in the middle are often forgotten, especially the chains. It is just not cool enough anymore to eat at these places… But I had to go there for a work event. I am not sure whether it was the near starvation, but the Blackened Bayou Burger had to be one of the tastiest, juiciest burgers I’ve eaten recently. It reminded me how much we used to love this place. That got me thinking, have we become such food snobs that we are ignoring some places just because of the low coolness index? I think so… I have resolved to keep an open mind about such places; I think we are missing out a lot!

Anyway I digress as usual. Coming back to the recipe of the day, this dish was invented as a way of cleaning out the fridge. Last weekend I had done some grocery shopping, and most were not used up. The meats were moved off to the freezer at the beginning of the week itself, but the veggies in the crisper were starting to show the signs of a slow but imminent death, I had to do something quick. I have a bunch of different types of pasta in the pantry now, a recent addition after my resolve to start incorporating more non-rice main dishes into our diet. Combine the two, and that is how this one dish meal was born, and must I add it was a delicious dish for such an easy breezy recipe. You can use your favorite pasta and any leftover veggies in the fridge, but I think mushrooms really add a special something extra to this pasta preparation.

AsparagusAndMushroomPasta

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

Method

Cook the Fettuccine according to the package instructions, but make sure it is still firm or al dente. Al Dente means the pasta is still firm, but not hard. Rinse with cold water and drain and keep aside.

Crush the garlic cloves well using a mortar and pestle.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the leeks or shallots. Saute till soft. Add the crushed garlic and saute till it just starts to brown.

Add the asparagus and saute for about 3-4 minutes till the asparagus turns bright green. Add the mushrooms and saute for couple of minutes till the mushrooms starts to sweat. Add red chili flakes and salt and stir well to combine.

Pour the stock and stir well. Cook on high heat till the liquid is reduced to about 3/4th. Add the baby spinach and the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently till all the liquid is absorbed.

Serve hot. Season with more red chili flakes and salt if needed.


Comments

37 Responses to “Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Baby Spinach”

  1. shilpa on May 11th, 2008 6:15 pm

    Thats a super cool dish Sig. I always thought we cannot make a pasta dish without some kind of cheese in it :roll: . I will try this one sometime soon.

    Btw..I tried your tofu scramble today. I don’t say I will join “tofu lover’s club” anytime soon, but I can say I love this dish more than any other tofu dishes :). Thanks dear.

  2. sandeepa on May 11th, 2008 6:53 pm

    Awwwwwwwww hope you get over whatever is bothering you soon. Such a colorful platter of pasta

  3. Swati Jain:Sugarcraft India on May 11th, 2008 8:03 pm

    This pasta looks realy cool. I love your pun on the veggies … “starting to show the signs of a slow but imminent death”… ha ha

  4. lissie on May 11th, 2008 8:17 pm

    thats a really easy one…yummy too!

  5. Raaga on May 11th, 2008 10:11 pm

    This is one dish I can replicate as is :-) looks yummy :-)

    And OMG… you “got away” with pasta??? :-))

  6. arundati on May 11th, 2008 10:50 pm

    i hope happier days are around the corner for you babe…as for me…pasta can put a smile on my face on the most rotten days of them all!! this looks fab!!hugs!!

  7. Nirmala on May 11th, 2008 11:14 pm

    You are absolutely true on the kind of restaurants. Though I am not aware of the kind u usually list here too I have my own preferences. But the best tasting idlis were made in road side shops. Also a mushroom masala dosa I ate in my early days of marriage in a road-side shop is still lingering in my memories!

  8. Jyothsna on May 11th, 2008 11:18 pm

    Nice way of clearing out the fridge! Hope you are in better spirits now :)

  9. arundathi on May 12th, 2008 3:17 am

    love your fettuccine and a great way to use up those veggies! i usually have most unappetizing veggies left over, so i have to buy fresh veggies for this one! :))
    hope you’re feeling better.

  10. Asha on May 12th, 2008 3:58 am

    I still prefer the good old small restaurants to 5 star ones, less formal and great local food!:)
    Fettuccine Alfredo is Trisha’s fave, she will do almost anything for it!:D
    Dish looks yum Sig, hope you had a great weekend!:)

  11. indosungod on May 12th, 2008 4:05 am

    Sig, you made it a health meal! I too have pastas of different size and shape but only rely on them as a last resort. Looks lovely, like the fact that it does not have tomato based sauce on it. :idea:

  12. Sukanya on May 12th, 2008 6:35 am

    Hi Sig…
    Fettuccine with vegiees looks great…Nice way to eat all the vegiees… :drool:

  13. ranji on May 12th, 2008 6:44 am

    lovely dish sig…never tries crimini mushrooms….i should give it a try this time..tempted to try after seeing this:)

  14. richa on May 12th, 2008 7:07 am

    hope u get over the tough times soon, cheer up sweetie, hugs! pasta looks yum :smile:

  15. Ranjani on May 12th, 2008 7:33 am

    That looks really good!

  16. Anuzi on May 12th, 2008 7:50 am

    I think its the crummy weather thats affecting our moods or maybe we just happen to live parallel lives…ya know because I’m a lil down your’e a lil down. Regardless…I really hope you feel better :grin:
    On a yummy note, that dish looks to die for :drool: seriously woman even when you are down your cooking dosent take a hit…I love the positivity in your food :grin: muuuuahhh feel better dahling!

  17. Amy Thomas on May 12th, 2008 9:02 am

    Hi Sig- I hope that whatever it is you are going through is resolved soon.
    You come across as a very happy,content person and I am sorry to hear that you are down.
    Remember,it is darkest before dawn- whatever it is that is bothering you will pass.
    Best wishes
    Amy
    PS: Fettucine looks delish!

  18. Manasi on May 12th, 2008 9:30 am

    I love Fettuccine Alfredo … and was under the impression that u NEED cheese to make Fettuccine yummy! Ur version is super!
    Hope u perk up soon and wipe away allthe blahs! Take care of u!!

  19. musy on May 12th, 2008 9:50 am

    Hey Sig, keep your spirits up, girlie. Hope that you feel better. A big hug to you, dear. Sending lots of brightness and cheers your way.

    hugs again,
    musical.

  20. sra on May 12th, 2008 10:53 am

    Watch some good sitcoms, Sig! I will be there with you in spirit! :smile:

    I’m no expert, but the lighting on your dish looks nice.

  21. Uma on May 12th, 2008 11:23 am

    Lovely pasta! delicious.

  22. Kalai on May 12th, 2008 11:45 am

    Totally my kind of pasta dish! Hope you are feeling better now, Sig. It can definitely be hard to keep your spirits up at times. Let me know if you need an ear. Hugs to you! :)

  23. Rajitha on May 12th, 2008 11:52 am

    take care sig..if you need to vent…scream or talk..u know i am here buddy…

    and that dish looks fab! never been to
    red-robin..but the ad is quite funny!..had wanted to go in the past..but the veggies get jack there!!just one lameo burger…

  24. tbc on May 12th, 2008 4:35 pm

    Awww cheer up, Sig! :smile:
    I wanted to send you a hilarious audio clip but I have no clue how to attach the damn thing in such a way that you see it in this space! :mad:
    Oh well, I guess it’s the thought that counts, huh? :wink: :mrgreen:

  25. Swati Jain:Sugarcraft India on May 13th, 2008 7:04 am

    Hey Sig, hope you are feeling better..Got something to cheer you up.. An award is awaiting for you at my blog..

  26. archana, mama of twins on May 13th, 2008 7:40 am

    sig, hope you feel better and that the rest of you go out this week and cheer you up… we are big pasta fans in this house and love all your recipes..

  27. KS on May 13th, 2008 9:16 am

    Sig, I hope you feel better soon. I want you know that reading your blog is one of my favourite passtimes. I can spend endless hours browsing thru your fabulously maintained, unprententious with great recipes blog. :grin:

  28. Mandira on May 13th, 2008 6:28 pm

    Sig, sorry to hear that. I hope whatever is bothering you gets resolved soon. The pasta looks delicious!

  29. priyanka on May 14th, 2008 10:54 am

    Sig, hope you are feeling better….i usually dish up something that i have never made before only because i have to clean up the fridge….pasta looks great

  30. Latha on May 14th, 2008 1:11 pm

    That looks delicious Sig! My kids would love it I’m sure. And the picture looks mouthwatering!
    I hear u on the “forgetting some restaurants” - it has become that way with us too - but our eating out has kinda dwindled to once or twice a week just cause of the kids. Kids - they turn our lives upside down - let me not get started on those brats :-)

  31. Latha on May 14th, 2008 1:12 pm

    OH and hope u are doing better now, when u do feel like - u can talk about it and maybe that would ease things out! Hugs…

  32. sushma on May 14th, 2008 11:06 pm

    :roll: That sounds super cooooooool

  33. sig on May 14th, 2008 11:33 pm

    Hi friends, thank you all for the wonderful words, your comments really cheered me up a lot. Sorry, I wasn’t able to answer the individual comments and emails, but I will get to those soon! Thanks again!

  34. Shubha on May 20th, 2008 10:56 am

    Simply Awesome… Iam drooling over it… I love italian ans ur combination sounds too tempting…:) First time to u blog and i loved it…:)

    Thanks Shubha…. Hope to see you around here again :)…

  35. Zlamushka on May 22nd, 2008 8:02 pm

    Hi Sig,
    I love the pasta. You like cooking everything, dont you ?
    I am hosting Tried And Tasted Event, we re cooking Carribean this month - up for the challenge? It is about cooking from other blogs, a lot of fun

    Hi Zlamushka, sure I would love to participate… Been a little busy lately, but I will try and cook something up… Cynthia has some amazing recipes I’ve been meaning to try..

  36. Anjali on May 25th, 2008 8:06 pm

    Love your blog…read it myself whenever I feel blah, hope you feel better soon. This pasta sure looks inspired :)

    :) Thanks Anjali! Yes, things are back to normal, life is great again… :)

  37. Vani on May 28th, 2008 5:30 pm

    How pretty & delicious the dish looks, Sig!

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