Mediterranean Asparagus and Artichoke Pasta

I have a bad habit of pouring through my friends’ cookbooks during the down-times of our visits. I just can’t help myself, I see new cookbooks and I have to read them. I used to grab sheets of paper and copy down interesting recipes; now I just pull out the iPhone and click.

Sometimes I hit on some winners; tonight’s dinner was one I found in The Best 125 Meatless Pasta Dishes by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay. I saw it and was immediately hooked – it would use Farmer Kim’s asparagus and my sun-dried tomatoes. I would even use the olive oil from my tomatoes as the cooking oil to amp up the sun-dried tomato flavor.

Mediterranean Asparagus and Artichoke Pasta

Slightly adapted from The Best 125 Meatless Pasta Dishes

1 pound penne pasta

1 1/2 pounds asparagus (from Farmer Kim)

12-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried oregano (from the garden)

2 tsp dried mint

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, slivered

3/4 cup white wine (I used Riesling)

1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta,cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, drain the artichoke hearts. Break off the woody end of the asparagus and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces.

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic with the oregano and mint for 5 minutes, until the onion is golden and limp.