Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

Image & recipe @yummly.com / Smitten Kitchen    

As it turns out, goat cheese makes a really great quick, creamy pasta sauce. And whether you blanche your pasta with asparagus or you swap in fava beans or string beans or seriously, you name it, this comes together so quickly that I forgave it for not winning any beauty contests.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

•   1 pound spiral-shaped pasta

•   1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces (I used 5    
     spears split between 2 dishes)

•   1/4 cup olive oil

•   1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
•   1 tsp fresh lemon juice to taste (optional) 
•   1/2 cup home squeezed orange juice (I know it sounds weird, but it actually works!)
•   2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish (The shop was out of this so I  
     went with spring onions)

•   1 packet soft fresh goat cheese feta (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as    
     well)

Method:

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three

minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender,

another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of

pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up

the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple

slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if

needed. Season generously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if you feel it needs a little

extra kick.

Almond & Lemon Baby Cakes

image & recipe @yummly.com / Camille Styles

image & recipe @yummly.com / Camille Styles

*yield: 16 cakes

Ingredients:

•   7 ounces almond paste, broken into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

•   3 large eggs

•   2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

•   Pinch of salt

•   4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

•   1 tablespoon Amaretto

•   zest of 1 lemon

for the glaze:

•   2 cups confectioners’ sugar

•   2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

•   2 1/2 tablespoons Amaretto

•   1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

•   1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus zest strips for decorating

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a mini-muffin tin with vegetable oil spray. In a food processor, pulse the almond paste several times until broken into small pieces; don’t overprocess or the paste will become oily. Add the eggs and pulse until smooth. Add the cornstarch and salt and pulse until smooth. Add the butter, Amaretto and lemon zest and pulse until incorporated.

2.Scrape the batter into a small pitcher and pour it into 16 muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cakes are golden, puffed and firm to the touch. Transfer the pans to a rack and cool for 20 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

3.In a bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, cream, Amaretto and lemon juice. Using a handheld mixer, beat at low speed until smooth. Beat in the teaspoon of grated lemon zest. Spoon the icing liberally over the cakes, allowing it to drip down the sides. Garnish with lemon zest before serving.

Zesty Lemon Crepes with Butter & Sugar

image & recipe @yummly.com / Big girls, small kitchen

Makes 4 crepes

Ingredients:

•   1/2 cup milk

•   1 egg

•   1 tablespoon butter, plus more for serving

•   Pinch salt

•   1/2 teaspoon sugar, plus more for serving

•   1/3 cup all-purpose flour

•   1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (from about 1/2 a lemon)

•   1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more for serving

* Increase the lemon flavour slightly by adding some zest to the batter. 

Method:

1.Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in the microwave. Add it to a mini prep or blender and add the milk, egg, a pinch of salt, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Process until smooth. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. This is a good time to make your coffee or, er, wash last night’s dishes.

2.Heat a 9 to 12-inch castiron pan over medium-high heat. Brush it with some of the remaining butter. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan and tilt to spread it in an even, thin layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the top of the crepe looks dry and slightly bubbly. Using a small offset spatula, release the edges of the crepe from the pan and flip the crepe with your fingers. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the second side is dotted with gold. Spread about 1 teaspoon of butter across the crepe, then slide it onto a plate. Sprinkle it evenly with about 1 teaspoon of sugar, and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Fold into quarters and serve.

3.Repeat with the remaining batter to make 3 more crepes.

Artichokes and parsley, preserved lemon pesto

image & recipe @yummly.com / Food52

•   Serves 4 as a side dish 

•   1/2 cup parsley (I like curly leaf, but flat leaf would probably be fine)

•   1 teaspoon kosher salt

•   3 cloves garlic

•   Peel of half a preserved lemon

•   4 medium artichokes (get ones with fat, long stems)

1. Have some acidulated water ready (water with some lemon or vinegar in it) or a fresh lemon. Trim the artichoke of its leaves, the choke, and the tough woody exterior of the stem. Rub the cut areas once in a while with the lemon or dip in the acidulated water.
2. When the artichoke is trimmed, cut it into small chunks (~1/8 inch dice) and leave in the acidulated water (or mix with lemon juice) while you make the pesto.
3. Chop together the parsley, garlic, preserved lemon (or lemon zest), and salt. Chopping the salt with the other ingredients makes the chopping less sticky. I like it slightly chunkier than you can get with a food processor, but if you don't have a big, curved chef's knife, then a processor would work fine.
4. Drain the artichoke pieces and rinse them off if they've got lemon pips stuck to them. In a medium skillet, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Saute the artichoke bits until they are softened and beginning to brown.
5. Add the pesto, mix thoroughly, and saute for another minute or two until fragrant. The garlic will still be fairly raw and spicy. Can be good with a little crumbled feta or chunks of goat cheese.