Asparagus, Spring Onion, And Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound thin asparagus
3/4 pound mushrooms (morel, crimini, oyster, or a mixture)
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound spring onions (or scallions or baby leeks
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
4 tbs unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounce dry pappardelle or fettuccine
1 tbs chopped chervil or flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Cut off tough ends of asparagus and slice crosswise into two-inch pieces. Trim tough stems from mushrooms. If the mushrooms are dirty, quickly rinse in cold water and pat dry before slicing into bite-size pieces.
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add onions and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. Add asparagus and saute 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add butter and toss until melted into vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the sauce and chervil. Season with additional salt and pepper, and serve.

If your market carries morels, buy a few and fill in with less expensive, cultivated varieties of mushrooms such as cremini or oyster. Pappardelle is a broad, ribbon-like pasta. If you can’t find it, use fettuccine.