GEMELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, RICOTTA, ARUGULA, AND LEMON ZEST

This recipe appears in: The Food Lab: A New Way to Cook Pasta? Where's the water? Check out the science behind this cooking method here. Note: Use a high quality ricotta cheese for this recipe. Check the ingredients label-it should contain nothing but milk, salt, and an acid or starter enzyme. Avoid any brand that uses gums or stabilizers. About the author: After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now lives in New York with his wife, where he runs a private chef business, KA Cuisine, and co-writes the blog GoodEater.org about sustainable food enjoyment. amzn_assoc_title = ""; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; amzn_assoc_rows = "1"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_enable_interest_ads = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "se-recipe-native-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "auto"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_textlinks = ""; amzn_assoc_linkid = "e399007f6e952fe67e3f5935724109eb"; amzn_assoc_emphasize_categories = "284507"; Serious Eats Gemelli with Asparagus, Ricotta, Arugula, and Lemon Zest Reading Options: Cooking Mode Text Only Ingredients * 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil * 1 pound asparagus, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces * Kosher salt * Freshly ground black pepper * 1 pound of gemelli, fusilli, rotini or any other medium-thickness short pasta * 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese * 1 tablespoon zest from 1 lemon * 2 cups loosely packed baby arugula leaves * 2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving tableside Directions * 1. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed sauce pot over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add asparagus pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp and lightly browned. Season asparagus to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to bowl, and set aside. Do not clean sauce pot. * 2. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and stir immediately. Allow to return to a boil, stir once vigorously, cover pot, and shut off heat. After one minute, stir one last time. Recover pot. Follow timing on box as a general guide for cooking time-start checking pasta 2 minutes before suggested cooking time and continue checking every minute until proper al dente texture is reached. Pasta should be fully softened, but retain a slight bite in the center. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid. Immediately transfer pasta to empty sauce pot from cooking asparagus. * 3. Add asparagus, ricotta, lemon zest, arugula, grated cheese, and a few big twists of black pepper to the pasta. Add 1 cup pasta water and stir until all ingredients are combined and arugula has wilted. Continue adding pasta water until desired consistency is reached (the ricotta should turn into a creamy sauce that coats the noodles). Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately, passing more grated cheese at the table.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 9

• Ingredients