On a side note, yes, I use a lot of garlic, but if garlic is cooked slowly and added at the beginning of a dish it is a lot milder and sweet. Give it a try. My mother swears she hates garlic, but she happily eats my food. Also, in the Spicy asparagus pasta the garlic is left whole, so it's easy to pick out.
This method is great, and I use it with a lot of different veggie combinations. Right now my asparagus is going crazy, and I'm trying to keep up with it.
The first picture is of the asparagus and tomatoes, the second is the finished pasta. The pasta picture isn't great, but it gives you an idea.
Spicy Asparagus Pasta
1 bunch asparagus cut into bit sized pieces
6 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tomato chopped
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more or less depending on the amount of heat you like)
8 oz linguine
fresh Parmesan (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Fill pot with water and boil for pasta. Make sure to add salt to your water. It should be as salty as the sea. This is really the only chance you have to impart flavor to your pasta, so do it! Add olive oil and garlic to skillet. Heat on low. Turn garlic with tongs every few minutes. You want garlic to be a nice golden brown, but do not let it burn or it will become bitter. This takes about 7 minutes. After garlic is golden brown turn up heat to medium and add asparagus to garlic oil. Add a few sprinkles of salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. By this point your pasta water should be ready. Follow instructions for cooking pasta. Do not overcook pasta. Cook asparagus until tender about 3 to 5 minutes while the pasta is cooking. Add tomatoes to asparagus. Cook down another 2 minutes. Drain pasta and toss in garlic, oil, and asparagus. Serve immediately. If you want to add cheese now would be the time. This is so delicious I don't think the cheese is needed.
