01 March 2013

lunch

Sometimes (most of the time), it is not the easiest trying to get the time to make a special meal. So here is a lunch for one that is really, stupidly easy but feels sort of rustic and awesome. You may be able to guess that it was born out of what was left at the bottom of my crisper drawer but that is not important. 

 
1 leek, sliced into rounds
2 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch segments 
1 clove garlic, minced
1 - 1 & 1/2 cups macaroni noodles 
1/2 cup tomato sauce 
olive oil
coarse sea salt 
black pepper
red chili pepper flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Put two Tbsp or so of olive oil in a pan (cast iron if you have it) and turn on medium-low heat. Put a small pot of water on to boil.

Wash your asparagus and chop. Cut the dark green top and the roots off the leek and discard them. Make a slice lengthwise along the leek about half way deep and peel back the first couple of layers of the leek and rinse well (dirt tends to stick around in there) but keep the cylinder shape of the leek. Then slice the leek into 1/2 inch rounds.  

Add the leek and the asparagus to the olive oil pan and saute for at about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a tsp of red chili pepper flakes. 

Your water should be boiling so add the noodles and give it a quick stir so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Macaroni noodle cooking time is about 6 minutes. Continue to saute your greens during this time and add more oil (or a pat of butter) if needed. In the last 2 minutes, add your garlic. The leeks should have a touch of brown to some of them by the time the noodles are done. 

Set down the leeks and asparagus in your bowl first in a layer and top with a thin layer of cheese (or not). Drain the noodles and put them back in the small pot with a half cup or so of tomato sauce. Mix well. Pour sauced noodles on top of your leek and asparagus and add another layer of cheese and some fresh ground black pepper. 

Enjoy. 

Recipe by Aubrie Chaylt. Photo by me, filter by Instagram.

1 comment:

  1. I have not seen many, or even any, of the x-files.

    This looks good.

    ReplyDelete