Threw this one together after a trip to the farmer’s market Saturday. Too early for field tomatoes (they only had hothouse), but not too late for wild asparagus, some of which looked more like chives than asparagus. I made this up as a pasta sauce, but it would have really worked well as a stew. But I’m the kind of person who eats bowls of pasta sauce.
- Olive oil (I probably used about 1/4 cup)
- Garlic, several cloves, diced finely or smashed
- Harissa, several squirts (just, um, don’t do what I did and squirt it all over your pants)
- Juice of one lemon
- [Some white wine or broth would be nice, but I didn’t have any]
- Fresh tomatoes, chopped (I used four because that’s what I had)
- A can or two of chickpeas, drained
- Bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Fresh black pepper
- Salt, to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Throw in the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the harissa and cook, stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice and broth/white wine, if using. Add the fresh tomatoes, chickpeas and asparagus. Simmer until the tomatoes break down and the asparagus is tender, about five minutes depending on how thick the asparagus is. Serve either as a stew or as a pasta sauce.
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