We we early that day and seated immediately. Service was great and the suggestion was to try one of their garlic pizzas, and that we did. The garlic pizza known as the “La Bella”. It was delicious, and the sauce was great. I took my time inspecting the sauce (yes, I do that), smelling it, and tasting it like a fine wine. It was a cream sauce that trumped a traditional red sauce, and it was a sauce that I was out to recreate. After all, I think I have enough knowledge in making sauces, working with garlic, and so this past week, during our family “call your own pizza” night, I made my version of the garlic cream sauce that hit it on the head.

If you are looking for a different take on pizza sauce, and a sauce that goes great with onions, artichokes, mushrooms, or even sausage, this is the one. Super simple to make, great garlic flavor, and a sauce that your family will question with delight.

• 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (or use a microplane if you have it)
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup of 2% milk
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
• Generous pinch of salt
• Generous pinch of black pepper
• Very small pinch of red chili flakes
• Pizza dough
• Pizza toppings (recommend red onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, or any of your favorites)

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees, and place the pizza stone in the oven during the preheat. Try to preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes, or more if you can. You want your pizza stone really hot before placing your pizza onto it.

Begin by melting the butter, along with the olive oil on medium to low heat. Once melted, toss in the minced garlic, and give a good stir. Raise the heat up to medium, to medium-high.  Add in the cream and milk and give a good stir. Keep stirring until it comes to a boil. Toss in the salt, pepper, and chili flakes, along with the cheese, and continue stirring. The sauce will thicken pretty quick, so continue to stir. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from the burner, and set aside.

When you are ready to make your pizza, roll out your dough into about a 8 inch diameter. Sprinkle a bit of corn meal onto your pizza peel, then place the rolled out dough on top. Spoon on the sauce, covering up most of the pizza besides the edges, and top with your favorite ingredients. I like mine rather simple with mild Italian sausage and red onion, however artichokes go well with this one as well, and when taken out, top with some baby arugula, with an olive oil drizzle. Topping are endless, and that is what I love about pizza, but the sauce is something different, and something I think everyone will love.

A perfect balance of garlic and creaminess that might just steer you away from the traditional red sauce. However you top it, enjoy.

Everyone probably has their own version of making chicken cacciatore, but this is mine. It is a simple sauce, yet complex in flavors, using common ingredients such as garlic, onion, and red bell pepper as the base of the sauce. How much easier could it be? Let’s find out.

• 6 chicken thighs
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper, plus additional for finishing
• 2 tsp salt, plus additional for finishing
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 cup of your favorite Chardonnay
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp capers, drained (or use about 6 olives, chopped)
• 1/2 lb of cooked spaghetti
• Crusty Italian bread

Begin by getting a large pot out. This dish is a one pot meal, and it is something that I really love doing. Bring to a medium heat.

As the pot is heating up, season your chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a large ziploc back, and toss in the chicken. Seal and give the bag a good shake, making sure you light coat all of the pieces of chicken with the flour.

Next, add the olive oil to the heated pot, letting it come to a shimmer. Take the chicken out of the bag, shaking to remove any excess flour, and add it, skin down into the pot. Add all of the chicken pieces, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook for about 4-6 minutes per side, then remove them to a plate. We will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of your vegetables, or have them prepared in advance.

Toss your chopped onion, garlic, and red bell peppers into the pot, and cook until the onion is a bit tender, or begins to sweat. Add in your wine and increase the heat to a medium-high heat. You want to cook the wine until it reduces, making the beginning of a great gravy.

Next, toss in your tomatoes, some salt and pepper, oregano, stock, and your capers. Bring to a boil.

Submerge, the best that you can, the chicken into your cacciatore sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes.

When you are ready to plate, take a serving bowl, something with slight depth, and add the cooked pasta. Then top with the chicken cacciatore, serving family style, alongside a basket of crusty Italian bread.

Your end result is a fall of the bone, tender chicken that is loaded with probably the best gravy in this world. The great hint of wine, and brininess from the capers is just something that keeps you eating. It is a dish that halts a conversation at the table, only coming up to say things like “wow”, “oh my”, “holy moly”. Yes, it is that good. Oh yeah, and the bread. Use the bread as your dunking tool, making sure to sop up all of the delicious cacciatore sauce.

If you are looking for a easy throw together meal, and one you could probably put in a slow cooker while you go to work, this would be the one you are looking for. I hope you enjoy.

I had pizza dough on my mind, but as I have been eating more pizza recently, I decided to go with a similar process and instead, make a focaccia bread to make sandwiches on Sunday. The fun thing about making focaccia is that once you have the dough made, you can get as creative as humanly possible on the toppings. Me? I like simple herbs that pack a huge flavor either eating alone if cut into squares, or used for making sandwiches. Let’s get started on this really simple and flavor Italian bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• Approximately 4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp additional salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Begin by taking your yeast and adding it to the cup of warm water. Wait about 10 minutes or so and you will notice the yeast will get nice and bubbly. This is what you are looking for.

During this activation process, add the flour, a teaspoon of salt to a large mixing bowl. Now add in the activated yeast. Mix as good as you can with a wooden spoon, and once it comes together, get your hands in there (yes, you will get the dough fingers), and begin working the dough for a few minutes. Add a bit more water if need be. You want the dough to become a bit smooth and almost elastic.

Once you achieve that texture, take another large bowl, and add in a two tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ball of dough, and toss to coat the entire ball of dough. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place in the house, for nearly 2 hours, or until it has risen double in size.

When the dough has risen, make a fist and punch it down. Next, get a baking sheet out, brush another tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the sheet, and add the dough, shaping into the form of the sheet. Take your thumb and begin making imprints into the dough. Do this for the entire sheet of dough. Take the remaining olive oil and brush onto the top of the dough.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Take the dried herbs, remaining salt and pepper, and mix it in a small bowl. Sprinkle generously to the top of the dough. Place in the preheated oven, and cook for about 25 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from the oven, let cool, and cut into large squares.

Serve as is, or if you want to make sandwich, slice a square in half, and top with your favorite sandwich ingredients.

Simple, tasty, and delicious. A great snack, or better yet, an excellent flat bread for an awesome sandwich. Enjoy.

I want to say these fried balls were from Glorioso Brothers, or Peter Sciortino’s, one of the two. But you know, it was a trip to get there. Coming from the suburbs, you had to drive a good twenty minutes to reach this delicatable  spot, only to turn back around, and return to your house where only your family members could see this level of excitement.

Arancini is not only a great word to say, but my mom had truth in her excitement, because after all, they are fried rice balls, coated with fine breadcrumbs, and stuffed with a variety of things. You can keep them plain, or stuff them with cheese, meats, and vegetables. However you serve them, they are delicious.

These are best served from leftover risotto. So when you make a batch next time, be sure to make some extra for this lovely appetizer. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups of leftover, cooked risotto
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs, seasoned
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 cups of vegetable oil

Begin by adding the basil, eggs, and parmesan cheese to the risotto. Mix, and mix well. Yes, you will get a bit dirty, but that is the fun of cooking some times.

Preheat your oil on medium heat in a heavy fry pot. You want the temperature to be about 350 degrees when frying.

Add your breadcrumbs to a small casserole dish.

Next, run your hands under water, then begin rolling meatball size shapes of the mixture. Keep in mind that you can make these as small or as big as you want, just be mindful of the oil quantity when doing so. If you are stuffing the arancini, take your thumb and gently make an imprint in the middle. Stuff with your cheeses, ground meat, or vegetables, then form back into the meatball shape. Roll the ball into the breadcrumb mixture, making sure it is evenly coated.

Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Carefully drop the coated rice ball into the oil, and fry, roughly 4-6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until they are a golden brown. Remove and let them drain on some paper towel before serving.

To plate, add them to a plate, and eat them as is, or serve with a side of great marinara sauce. However you serve them, trust me, you will get that same level of excitement that my mom did years ago, but now you can make them right in your very own kitchen.

Enjoy.

As I often do, I take a look around my pantry, and refrigerator, looking for simple things to put together. I had my mind on pasta, and at first, I thought of making some lasagna. After some conversations in Facebook regarding what friends were making, something popped out with one of the Italian girls. They were making a sauce with bacon. For some reason, I could not get sauce with bacon out of my mind on Sunday. I first thought of the standard carbonara, but then after scanning my ingredients decided to come up with something new. Something wonderful. Something ever so tasty and comforting. Stuffed cannelloni with chicken, bacon, and ricotta.

If you do not know what cannelloni is, it is often referred to as manicotti in the states. A big hollow shell that you fill, ladle sauce over, and bake. What could be better than that!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped, reserve bacon grease
• 1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast, finely diced
• 2 tbsp marsala wine
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 8 oz cannelloni/manicotti shells, boiled for 8 minutes
• 15 oz, part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 basil leaves, chopped

Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cups of hot milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Begin by making your bechamel sauce. Bring a small pot of milk to medium heat, not a boil. During this time, melt the butter on medium to low heat, stir in the flour, and continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Slowly add in the milk, and whisk continuously for an additional 2-3 minutes.  You will notice the sauce will become smooth, and thicken. Add in the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Give one final stir, and set aside.

To another large skillet, use the reserved bacon fat and cook down the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Toss in the diced chicken, marsala wine, and fennel seeds, cooking until the chicken is cooked through. This should not take very long. Remove the cooked mixture to a bowl and set aside to let cool.

Now, cook your noodles according to the package. Once cooked, drain the noodles, and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking.

To your cooled chicken mixture, add the ricotta cheese, chopped bacon, mozzarella, and the chopped basil leaves. Mix well.

To your casserole dish, spray with cooking spray, or lightly butter the bottom and edges. With a small spoon, knife, or piping bag, stuff your shells with the chicken mixture, making sure you fill from one end to the other. Repeat with the remaining shells, placing them in the greased casserole dish.

Mix the bechamel sauce, and pour over the top of the noodles. Place the dish in a preheated, 350 degree oven for roughly 35 minutes, or until the sauce is lightly browned, and bubbly.

Sprinkle with some more grated parmesan cheese, and plate and serve.

Trust me when I say comfort. This was a real winner and the chicken and bacon combination was very nice. Thanks to my Facebook friends for chiming in on keywords sauce and bacon. Enjoy.

If you have never made polenta, it is basically ground cornmeal, made into something like creamy potatoes but with some texture.  Normally you might see polenta served with some great mushroom sauce, or served with some protein, however I wanted to do something a bit different with the polenta. I added some simple flavor to it, molded it and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. Once the polenta sets, it forms a great solid cake if you will, that can be cut into shapes and either cooked on the grill, or fried, which is the route I took.
Ingredients:

• 9 cups of water
• 3 cups of polenta
• salt to taste
• 6 tbsp chipotle salsa
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• flour
• canola oil

Simple ingredients. Begin by bringing your water to a boil. Psych yourself up as you are going to be stirring the polenta for about 25 minutes. Seriously. Slowly pour in the three cups polenta, reduce the heat to medium, and begin to stir with a large wooden spoon. Stir in the same direction, rotating your arms if need be. Stir, and keep stirring. About half way through, add in the chipotle salsa, salt, and parmesan cheese. Stir some more.

When the polenta is nice and creamy, roughly 20-25 minutes in, pour into a casserole dish and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place plastic wrap over it and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

When you are ready to make the fried polenta, cut a segment out of the dish, cut into strips, much like a thick french fry. Dust the strips with flour. Heat up the oil to about 350 degrees. Once ready, add in a few of the polenta strips at a time, cooking until a nice golden brown. Remove from the oil and let drain on some paper towel. Sprinkle a bit of salt on them. Repeat the process with the remaining polenta strips.

When I served these on the table, my boys had a high level of curiosity. I knew they were hungry and that this was a great opportunity for them to try something new. My youngest son quickly dug in, realized that it was not a french fry, but loved it. My oldest who is a hard one to sell, tried a bite and actually liked it as well. My wife and I like them a lot. A lightly crisp coating and a soft and cream inside made these great to serve any day of the week.

Serve with a garlic rosemary aioli.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of prepared mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 clove of garlic, mashed into a paste
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix and combine, setting aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Peas can be used in most anything if you think about it. Great in fried rice, as a soup, mixed in with corn, or heck, even on a sandwich. My new found favorite use is making a pesto out of it.

Pesto as we know it, is typically made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, but that does not mean you have to go by the books. Since peas were in season, I wanted to make a batch of something very similar to the traditional pesto, but see if I could get away with using peas instead, and boy, did I ever get away with it.

Huge flavors with just the right amount of garlic and parmesan cheese, you would never know that peas were even in it, unless of course, you leave just the perfect texture, exposing a bit of the pea along the way. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of frozen peas
• couple basil leaves
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, rough chop
• 1 tsp of salt, to taste
• generous pinch of black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2  of olive oil

Toss everything into a food processor or blender, and make into a nice puree. Make sure to scrape the edges before blending again, just to make sure you get everything incorporated.

The great thing about making any type of pesto is that you can use it on anything, and it stays great in the refrigerator for a handful of days. You can even put some in your ice cube trays and freeze them until later use. Great, vibrant and bold flavors that will keep you coming back for more.

By the way, instead of placing the pesto in a warm pasta, I decided to grill some homemade pizza dough and use the pea pesto as the base, topping with a bit of sliced red onion, portabella mushrooms, and fresh goat cheese. It was to die for! Enjoy.

After getting back from vacation, an extremely busy week back at work, and time away from my kitchen, I actually missed having dinner with everyone, and I really needed to relief a bit of stress. This is where I was reminded about the excitement of the word ‘cioppino’. A hearty, and extremely amazing dish of mixed seafood, and probably one of the best broths you could probably ever have.  I kid you not, this is a home run when it comes to soup, plus it is interactive where you can get a bit messy with your hands if you so desire, and that is my type of food.

After I confirmed the dinner party, I asked my daughter if she wanted to go to the local fishmonger, in my case, Empire Fish. I wanted great quality seafood, and Empire Fish is my only option. My daughter and I were both excited. After our adventure, we were ready for the rest of the day, and definitely prepared for the party.

I took about 5 hours to cook the broth, but that is not to say you have to take it that long. I am a believer, much like making a great Italian red sauce, that the longer, the better.

This serves about 10 adults, keeping in mind that the cooked shellfish can be removed and sauce reserved and frozen for later usage.

Ingredients:

• 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribs removed, diced
• 2 medium sized onions, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 head of garlic (yes, one head), minced
• 1 head of garlic, top trimmed
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and ribbed, diced
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I like Tabasco on this one)
• generous pinch of red chili flakes
• large handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 5 15 oz cans of organic tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups of good dry white wine
• 8 oz clam stock
• 64 oz seafood stock
• 1 lb of octopus, cleaned, and cut into bit sized chunks
• 1/4 lb of baby scallops
• 3/4 lb of cod fillets, cut into small chunks
• 1 1/4 lb of halibut fillets, cut into small chunks
• 3/4 lb of halibut cheeks
• 1 1/2 lb of 31-35 shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 6 blue crabs, cleaned (lungs, head, stomach removed), halved
• 24 mussels, lightly scrubbed (live)
• 24 clams  (live)
• Good sourdough baguette, cut into 6 inch length, cut in half (1-2 per person)
• unsalted butter
• garlic powder
• fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Good bottle of red or white wine for drinking

So picture all of that. It is true love. Trust me when I tell you this. It really is true love, everything about this dish. It is romantic, it is comforting, and it is well worth every bit of money that goes into it, and the flavors are out of this world!

After preparing all of your vegetables (yes it takes a bit of time to break it all down into a small dice), most of the work is over for you. So get your largest soup pot out, and warm the butter and olive oil on medium heat. Once heated, add in the diced vegetables including the onion, celery, bell pepper, minced garlic, and jalapenos. Sweat this in the pot for about 7 minutes, stirring often.

Next, add in your Tabasco sauce, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce, paste, basil, oregano, bay leaves, and white wine. Mix well, and bring to a boil. Add in your stocks, mix well, return to a boil again, then cover, and simmer until you are ready to begin cooking the seafood. As previously stated, I cooked mine for about five hours to let all of the flavors merry, and I believe it is well worth it.

About a hour before you are ready to serve, place the other head of whole garlic in the pot, and put in the bite sized octopus and cook for about one hour and thirty minutes. Prior to throwing in the clams and mussels, make sure they are all closed. Often times the mussels, in particular, will open up. Tap the shell on the counter, and you will see it begin to close. If it does not close, toss it in the garbage. Also note, that if they do not open up when you cook them, toss them in the garbage.

The clams will cook for about 8-10 minutes. After they are done cooking, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.  The fish, shrimp, scallops, blue crabs, and cheeks will take about 6 minutes to cook. Return the mussels and clams back to the pot, give a good stir, and turn off the heat.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Melt about 5 tablespoons butter, along with garlic powder, and chopped parsley, either on the stove, or in a microwave. Generously brush each sliced baguette with the butter mixture, and place on a baking sheet in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until a light golden brown.

Now, yes, now you are ready to serve. Ladle in plenty of broth, and place shrimp, fish, a couple of clams and mussels, as well as a blue crab into each bowl, making sure you get plenty other goodies such as the scallops and octopus in each bowl.  Place one of the garlic butter baguettes into each bowl, and eat with the baguette, spoon, and your hands.

I left the king crab legs out of this one, but highly recommend breaking them down, and cooking along with the shrimp, however my father-in-law brought over some huge crab legs that I cooked separately with corn and potatoes.

I shouldn’t have to tell you any more. The smells you have been waiting for are here. Every spoonful is packed with flavor. Amazing flavor at that. The conversation was quiet at the table for the first ten minutes. That is always a good sign. I think I heard words such as “wow”, “oh my”, “oh holy wow”, or some blend of that during those ten minutes.

So if you are looking for a really amazing dish, and one that is going to impress, this is the one. Cioppino is something wonderful, and there is no doubt about it.

When I first thought of the dish, I thought to myself, that one it work, and two, it would be really awesome. As I had to make a few twists in the sauce, it was well worth it. An awesome cheesy cream sauce really brings this dish up to one of those top ten dishes, hands down. Oh yeah, and it has comfort written all over it, multiplied by three!

Ingredients:

• 12-15 lasagna sheets, cooked according to the package
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced as close to a paste as you can get it
• 12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserve bits for garnish
• 1 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pecorino cheese
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Begin by making your sauce. I should admit that the only thing eliminated here on a true carbonara is the use of eggs, however, I left those out as I did not want them to be come out scrambled due to the baking process. To a sauce pot, add the butter, and cook on medium heat until it begins to melt. Add in the garlic, cream, salt, pepper, pecorino, and parmesan cheeses. Stir well, then add in one cup of the mozzarella cheese.

Stir and stir often until your sauce begins to thicken, roughly ten minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Once your sauce has thickened, get your go to lasagna pan, and ladle in some of the cheese sauce, enough to lightly coat the bottom of the dish. Place your first layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom. Sprinkle some bacon, peas, more grated parmesan cheese, and a bit more mozzarella cheese on the top. Ladle in a bit more sauce, and repeat with three more layers. Noodles, sprinkles, sauce. Cover with the last few sheets of lasagna noodles, and cover the top with the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with any remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cooked, removed the foil, and place back in the oven, uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes until everything is nice and bubbly.

Finally, remove the dish from the oven, and let cool for about 15 minutes. Slice, and serve. Sprinkle some of the bacon bits onto the top of the lasagna, and dig it.

Your traditional lasagna just met its match. Enjoy.

First things first. Asparagus. I really do love asparagus, especially when wrapped in bacon.  So, I thought that a pasta salad, with asparagus, a simple dressing, and some lettuce would be really fresh and delicious. It proved out to be just that.

• small bunch of asparagus, stalk snapped, and spears cut into 3 inch pieces
• 3 cups of arugula, cleaned, and dried
• 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 cup of Pecorino Romano
• 2 tbsp kosher salt (for pasta water)
• ice water

Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add in your asparagus and cook for about four minutes. Remove with some tongs, and place them in the ice water to prevent them from cooking any further, as well as retain their great green color.

To that same pot of boiling water, add in your capellini. Capellini is basically very thin Italian pasta. You will only cook this pasta for like 3-4 minutes as well as it is so thin. Once cooked, drain, and place inside your serving bowl.

Next get your dressing going. Roll a whole lemon on your counter to get the juices going, literally. Zest it, and slice it in half to gather all of the juice, of course being careful not to let any seeds get past you. So you have the zest and the juice sitting in a bowl. Toss in your garlic, chili flake, and olive oil, and mix well.

You are pretty much ready to go. Remove the asparagus from the ice water, and set aside. To your pasta, add the Pecorino Romano cheese, the asparagus, and the arugula. Add the dressing, and with some tongs, or a couple of forks, mix everything. You want to incorporate the dressing as best as you can, as well as the cheese.

Plate and serve.

The great thing about this pasta salad is that you get a great citrus dressing, the peppery flavor from the arugula, and the lettuce flavor from the asparagus. Top that off with the sharpness of the cheese, and you have yourself one great salad. The only fallback you ask? Yes, we all know it, that scent from the asparagus the next day.