Angel Hair with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

We arrived home from a sunny few days in Florida to a crazy week packed with birthday and promotion celebrations (sadly, neither of which were mine!). Since my husband had taken Monday off from work, he volunteered to go grocery shopping, which umm, NEVER happens. And while I intended on taking full advantage of the situation, I knew I had to keep the list super simple, or I’d get 36 phone calls asking what the heck is Boston lettuce and where the hell do I find Chipotle Peppers in Adobo? So it read something like: strawberries, asparagus, granola (in cereal aisle), angel hair pasta, corn meal (in baking aisle with flour)... He still arrived home frazzled, with a story about how he couldn’t find the cornmeal and asked this little Italian lady where cornmeal was who preceded to drag him all over the store showing him three different options. I couldn’t help but laugh. Nevertheless, I think this is the first time he successfully completed the entire list so I was proud and now had the fresh asparagus ready to make a healthy dinner. A quick pantry check presented sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Perfect.

Angel Hair with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
serves 4

1 lb whole wheat angel hair pasta
1/2 c pine nuts
1 bunch asparagus, tough stems removed and cut into 1” pieces
1/2 c olive oil
1/8 c white wine (or cooking wine)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes in oil, diced (apx 4 oz)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c asaigo cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook 5-7 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat a large pan to medium-high, add pine nuts and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Add 1/4 c olive oil and asparagus, turning heat to high, and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add additional 1/2 c olive oil, white wine, and lemon juice. Cook 3 minutes, until liquids begin to reduce. Turn off heat, add sun-dried tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta among four plates and top with asparagus mixture. Sprinkle with lemon zest and asaigo cheese.