In May 2012, on a lovely, warm afternoon in Assisi, Italy, the friends with whom we were traveling took us for “lunch” at a hillside restaurant called Metastasio.
I’ve never preferred eating a big meal with wine in the afternoon, but our friends love it and claim it’s an Italian “thing.” We sat on an open deck that overlooked the green hills of Umbria. Only the church bells from the little town of Assisi broke the silence.
I have always remembered what I ate that day and have been thinking that it would be lovely for a Mother’s Day brunch. Pasta with salmon and asparagus in a light cream sauce offers a nice change from the usual egg strata, quiche and frittata. The only accompaniment needed is a fresh fruit salad and chilled peach bellinis or orange mimosas to drink. Pasta for brunch? Why not?
Italian cookbooks contain many versions of pasta with “salmone.” Some call for smoked salmon instead of fresh, peas rather than asparagus, and others for a “spike” of lemon rather than the tomato in Giuliano Hazan’s recipe below. Hazan calls for penne, but you could use a string pasta like linguine or even cheese tortellini. This dish is fun to experiment with. Mom will love it.
Pasta with Asparagus and Salmon (Penne agli Asparagi e Salmone)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh asparagus
- ½ medium onion (sweet onions are best)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ pound (12 ounces) fresh ripe tomatoes (plum tomatoes are a good choice as they have less liquid)
- 1 pound of pasta (choose shape to your liking)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- ½ pound (8 ounces) fresh, skinless salmon or smoked salmon, if you prefer
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Fill a wide sauté pan with water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
- Cut off the woody bottom portion of the asparagus spears and peel the remaining bottom third. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, and slide in the asparagus. Cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Then lift them out and set aside. (Watch carefully and don’t allow the spears to get mushy.)
- While the asparagus are cooking, finely chop the onion and put it in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Cut the asparagus into ¾-inch lengths, add to the onion, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Peel the tomatoes and coarsely chop them. Add to the asparagus/onion mixture and cook until all the liquid is gone.
- Add the cream to the onion/asparagus/tomato sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens a little. Cut the salmon or smoked salmon into strips and add to the pan with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- When the pasta is done, drain it and toss it with the sauce and serve.
A few cooking notes:
- If you are using smoked salmon, a little chopped fresh dill added at the end is very good.
- Frozen baby peas are a great alternative to the asparagus. The dish is still very “spring-like.”
- Save a little of the pasta cooking water if you need to thin the sauce.
- You can eliminate the tomatoes if you prefer. The dish will still be good.
Many Harrisburg-area restaurants will be serving brunch on Mother’s Day. Mangia Qui, Note and Home 231 are some of my favorites (especially their Bloody Mary’s!). But if you are looking to treat Mom at home, pasta with salmon is a lovely choice for brunch or an early dinner on the patio, even without a view of the Umbrian countryside.
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