Dinner or Main Course | Saveur

Baked Macaroni with Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Tomatoes

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:50:12 +0000

Photography by Linda Xiao; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

This baked macaroni and cheese recipe with fresh chèvre, spinach, and tomatoes starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven. The creamy sauce stays gooey and velvety, while the cheese sprinkled on top turns crisp and golden-brown. Elbow macaroni is an optimal vessel for the sauce, but any hollow pasta shape will work.

Yield: 4

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Kosher salt
8 oz. elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups baby spinach
1¾ cups fresh goat cheese, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
4 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened but still firm, about 3 minutes. Drain the macaroni and set aside.
Return the pot to medium heat, add the butter, and when it has nearly melted, whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Add the milk and cook, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach and 1½ cups of goat cheese. Season the sauce to taste with salt and black pepper, then stir in the reserved macaroni. Transfer to an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, layer the tomato slices evenly over the surface, then sprinkle over the remaining goat cheese.
Place a baking sheet in the oven and set the baking dish on top. Bake until the pasta is golden-brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and serve hot.

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Moussaka (Greek Eggplant Casserole)

Aglaia Kremezi — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:29:15 +0000

Photography by Linda Xiao; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

A good moussaka is “one of the most fabulous things you can eat,” according to Aglaia Kremezi, author of Mediterranean Hot and Spicy. Her recipe for the Greek eggplant casserole, inherited from her mother, is a labor of love requiring sautéing, frying, boiling, and baking—but it’s well worth the trouble. The components (meat sauce, béchamel, and fried eggplant and potatoes) can be prepared the day before assembling.

Yield: 8-10

Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

2 cups plus 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 lb. ground beef
¼ cup tomato paste
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon, divided, plus more for dusting
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, divided
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
One 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
3 large eggplants, sliced into ¼-in.-thick rounds
5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-in.-thick rounds
1 cup coarsely grated graviera cheese, or Gruyère
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To a large pot set over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of the oil, the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 5–7 minutes. Add the beef and cook until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, 1¼ teaspoons of the ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of the nutmeg, and the cloves and cook until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, about 1½ hours. Remove from the heat, then discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Season generously with salt and black pepper and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the béchamel: In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Melt the butter in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until light golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1½ teaspoons of salt, the milk, and the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, whisking frequently, until thick, about 10 minutes. Ladle about 1 cup of the béchamel into the egg, then whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot, then whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. To a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the remaining oil. Lightly dust the eggplant slices with cinnamon slices. When the oil is hot and shimmering, working in batches, fry the eggplant (turning once) until soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the potatoes and cook until barely tender, 8–10 minutes. Drain and transfer to an ice bath. When cool, drain and set aside.
On the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the béchamel. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the graviera. Spread the potatoes evenly over the cheese, then cover evenly with the eggplant. Pour the meat sauce over the top, then spread with the remaining béchamel. Top with the remaining graviera. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour.

Around the World in 26 Eggplant Recipes

Photography by Matt Taylor-Gross

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Seaweed Brown Butter Pasta

Hetty McKinnon — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:27:11 +0000

Photography by Hetty Lui McKinnon

This recipe is brought to you by SAVEUR Cookbook Club, a passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe featuring our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every two months, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

This seaweed brown butter pasta recipe, from author Hetty McKinnon’s new book, Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds, is all about umami. If it’s your first time cooking with dulse, the lettuce-like red seaweed, you’ll love its clean, briny flavor. Toasting it lends it a pleasant smokiness. The seaweed butter is also terrific tossed with roasted vegetables or slathered on crusty bread.

Yield: 4

Time: 30 minutes

⅓ cup dried dulse flakes
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, or vegan butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. fine salt, plus more to taste
¼–½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. linguine, or other long pasta
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, or 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. white (shiro) miso
Grated Parmesan cheese and vegan furikake, for topping (optional)

Instructions

In a small skillet set over low heat, toast the dulse, stirring frequently, until crispy and very dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form, 4–5 pulses. Add the butter, salt, and crushed red pepper and pulse until combined (but not completely smooth), 4–5 pulses.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, according to the instructions on the package. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, to a large skillet set over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the seaweed butter and continue cooking until it’s melted and smells nutty, 2–3 minutes. Whisk in the miso paste. Add the pasta and ½ cup of the pasta water and toss until combined. If the pasta looks dry, add more pasta water. Season with salt to taste, then top with the cheese and furikake if desired.

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Bamonte’s Pork Chops with Pickled Peppers

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:21:08 +0000

Photography by Julia Gartland; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

These juicy pork chops with pickled peppers have been a menu staple at Bamonte’s restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, since the 1950s. Both sweet and hot pickled cherry peppers are available at Italian grocery stores and online; if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, use either all sweet peppers or a mix of the two.

This recipe first appeared in our January/February 2013 issue along with Greg Ferro‘s article “Bamonte’s”.

Yield: 2–4

Time: 26 minutes

Two 1-in.-thick bone-in pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 pickled cherry peppers, halved
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Season the chops generously with salt and black pepper.
To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chops and cook, flipping once, until evenly browned, 5–8 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chops are just cooked through (145°F on an instant read thermometer), 18–20 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate and set aside (the meat will continue cooking as it rests).
Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat, add the remaining oil, garlic, and peppers, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 3–4 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, stir in the wine and stock, and continue cooking until the liquid has reduced in volume by half, 3–4 minutes. Spoon the sauce and peppers over the pork chops and serve hot.

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Sardine Bánh Mì

Shirley Garrier and Mathieu Zouhairi — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:21:15 +0000

Republished with permission from The Social Food: Home Cooking Inspired by the Flavors of the World by Shirley Garrier & Mathieu Zouhairi (Rizzoli New York; 2022)

After Shirley Garrier’s family left Vietnam and settled in France, her grandmother couldn’t find the ingredients to make a classic Vietnamese bánh mì. So she bought French sardines preserved in olive oil, which were cheap but very tasty. It was a revelation. Because sardines are a fatty fish, they balanced out the sourness of the pickled vegetables and the herbaceous cilantro. To this day, Garrier remains proud of the way this sandwich exemplifies her family’s cultural background. When she and her partner in life and business, Mathieu Zouhairi, were writing their cookbook, The Social Food: Home Cooking Inspired by the Flavors of the World, they knew this canned sardine banh mi recipe had to be in it.

Though store-bought bread will work well in this sandwich, nothing beats a fresh homemade baguette. Follow this dồ chua recipe to make the Vietnamese carrot-daikon pickle at home.

Republished with permission from The Social Food: Home Cooking Inspired by the Flavors of the World by Shirley Garrier & Mathieu Zouhairi (Rizzoli New York; 2022)

This recipe is adapted from The Social Food: Home Cooking Inspired by the Flavors of the World by Shirley Garrier & Mathieu Zouhairi (Rizzoli New York; 2022).

Yield: 2

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Two 4.2-oz. cans oil-packed sardines
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 red bird’s eye chile, finely chopped
3 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 baguette, split lengthwise
Maggi sauce, to taste
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3½ oz. dồ chua (carrot-daikon pickle)
Fresh mint and basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

To a wide, shallow baking dish or plastic container, add the sardines and their oil. Sprinkle over the shallot, chile, cilantro, lime zest, and sugar, then pour over the lime juice and fish sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
Sprinkle a few drops of Maggi sauce to taste over the cut side of each baguette half. Spread one half evenly with mayonnaise and top with the dồ chua, followed by the sardines and some of their marinade. Garnish liberally with additional cilantro and fresh mint and basil leaves, if desired. Top with the second half of the baguette and cut the loaf crosswise to make two large sandwiches. Serve at room temperature.

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Minestra di Verdure

SAVEUR Editors — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 17:43:13 +0000

Photography by Julia Gartland; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

This Grandmas Project recipe for minestra di verdure—a chunky Mediterranean vegetable soup—is a great way to cook through a bumper crop of late-summer veggies, which you can vary depending on what’s available (or on sale). We love serving this stew the day after it’s made to let the flavors marry. Minestra makes an even more complete, satisfying meal when served with crusty baguette and a runny fried egg on top.

Featured in “This Italian Nonna’s Vegetable Soup Is a Portal to Her Past,” by Rooksana Hossenally.

Yield: 4

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

One 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving (optional)
8 oz. celery root, peeled and cut into ½-in. pieces (about 2 cups)
8 oz. red kuri squash, peeled and cut into ½-in. pieces (about 1⅔ cups)
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-in. pieces
3 medium zucchini, cut into ½-in. pieces
2 medium leeks, tops and bottoms discarded, cleaned and coarsely chopped
2 medium turnips, cut into ½-in. pieces
¼ large fennel bulb (3 oz.), coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a small bowl, using a potato masher or handheld blender, coarsely purée ½ cup of the beans with ½ cup of water and set aside.
To a large pot set over medium heat, add the oil, celery root, squash, carrots, zucchini, leeks, turnips, and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened slightly and are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the puréed and whole beans, the tomato paste, and 4 cups of water and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and continue cooking, adding hot water as needed to maintain a thick, soupy texture, until the vegetables are fully soft, about 45 minutes. Divide evenly among four bowls and drizzle with olive oil if desired.

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Strawberry Risotto

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:43:25 +0000

Photography by Murray Hall; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

This unusual, pastel-pink strawberry risotto recipe is a great way to use up those out-of-season (or past-their-prime) berries kicking around your fruit drawer. The dish was a popular menu item at Italian restaurants in the 80s—and we’re all for its comeback.

Featured in “Can This Berry Be Saved?” by Warren Schultz.

Yield: 4

Time: 35 minutes

3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup strawberries, washed and hulled
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a small pot, bring the stock to a boil, then add the berries and boil for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a food processor or blender and purée; set aside. Turn off the heat.
To a large pot set over medium-low heat, add the butter. When it’s melted, add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until absorbed, about 4 minutes. Add ½ cup of the reserved stock and cook until absorbed, then continue with the remaining stock. (The total cook time should be about 25 minutes.)
Remove from the heat and stir in the purée and Parmigiano, then season with salt and black pepper to taste and serve immediately.

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Sindhi Kadhi (Pakistani Vegetable Curry)

Natasha Raheja — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 20:08:51 +0000

Photography by Linda Xiao; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

This Sindhi kadhi (Pakistani vegetable curry) recipe is a hot, subtly tart stew that hails from the Sindh province of southeastern Pakistan. Cluster beans, drumsticks, lotus root, and curry leaves are worth tracking down and can be purchased at South Asian groceries; if you can’t find one (or a couple) of those vegetables, simply toss in whatever produce you have on hand in roughly equal quantities.

Featured in “Finding Family History in a Big Bowl of Curry,” by Rooksana Hossenally.

Yield: 6

Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Vegetable oil, for frying
10–12 okra (13 oz.), tops discarded, slit down the middle
1 small cauliflower (1 lb.), cut into florets
1 medium eggplant (14 oz.), cubed
2 lotus roots (1 lb. 3 oz.), cut into ½-in. pieces
¾ cup gram (chickpea) flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder, or to taste
½ tsp. ground turmeric
2 medium green chiles, such as serrano, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. chunks
10–12 cluster beans (1 lb.), trimmed
½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 Tbsp. tamarind paste, thinned with 2 Tbsp. of water and strained
2 drumsticks, aka moringa (13 oz.), cut into 1-in. pieces
¼ tsp. asafoetida
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. whole fenugreek seeds
10–12 curry leaves
Boondi (optional) and coarsely chopped cilantro, for garnish
Steamed rice, for serving

Instructions

To a large pot set over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of oil. When it’s shimmering and hot, add the okra and fry, adding more oil as needed, until lightly browned, 3–5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the cauliflower, followed by the eggplant. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the lotus root and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
To the large pot, add oil as needed to reach about ¼ cup, then turn the heat to medium. Add the gram flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 3–5 minutes. Stirring continuously, gradually add 6 cups of water. Stir in the salt, chile powder, turmeric, chiles, and tomato and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the tomato begins to break down, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cluster beans and continue to cook until the potatoes and beans are almost tender, about 2 minutes more. Add the reserved lotus root, cauliflower, eggplant, and okra; the peas; tamarind; and drumsticks and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, 5–7 minutes. (If the curry looks too thick, add water to loosen.)
Meanwhile, make the tarka: To a small pan set over medium heat, add ¼ cup of oil, the asafoetida, and cumin seeds and cook until barely fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the fenugreek and curry leaves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
Immediately pour the tarka over the curry and stir to combine. To serve, ladle the sindhi kadhi into bowls, then sprinkle with cilantro and boondi if desired, and accompany with rice.

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Dilly Salmon Pasta Salad with Pickles and Caraway Breadcrumbs

Benjamin Kemper — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:56:37 +0000

Photography by Murray Hall; Food Styling by Jessie YuChen

Welcome to One Pot Bangers, Benjamin Kemper’s weeknight cooking column, where you’ll find our freshest, boldest ideas that require just one pot, skillet, or sheet pan. Busy week? We’ve got you covered with these low-effort, high-reward recipes from around the globe.

Deli-case pasta salad—you know the type, gobbed with sugary mayo and flecked with bargain-bin tuna—can be grim, frightening stuff. With cookout and picnic season upon us, I wondered how I might freshen up the American side to give it a more intriguing flavor profile. The goal was to give the dish what a zoomer might call “main character energy”: pasta salad as the meal, not a sorry accessory to it.

I settled on using fresh salmon instead of tuna—a generous amount, flaked into big, juicy chunks. Then, drawing inspo from my Ashkenazi forebears, I added a few tugs of fresh dill, a glob of horseradish, and a handful of chopped pickles (plus a splash of their brine to loosen everything up). A sprinkling of caraway-scented breadcrumbs on top, and I had a recipe I could get behind. I’ve been making this salmon pasta salad on repeat for picnics, barbecues, and (since all the action happens in one pot) casual weeknight meals.

Feel free to use frozen or canned salmon in place of fresh. Poaching is the easiest way to cook the fish: Simply place the salmon in an 8-by-8-inch microwaveable pan, add ¼ cup of water, then cover and cook on high until opaque, about 8 minutes for center-cut fillets (9–12 minutes for frozen). For a more elegant presentation, transfer the drained pasta to a serving bowl in step 2.

Yield: 4–6

Time: 30 minutes

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup panko bread crumbs, or homemade bread crumbs
1 tsp. ground caraway seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. conchiglie (shell) or orecchiette pasta
¾ cup coarsely chopped dill or bread-and-butter pickles, plus 1 Tbsp. brine
3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley leaves
2 Tbsp. finely chopped dill fronds, plus more whole fronds for garnish
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. bottled horseradish
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ small red onion, very finely chopped
2½ cups flaked cold cooked salmon (see headnote)
½ cup crème fraîche, or sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise, plus more to taste

Instructions

In a large pot set over medium-low heat, melt the butter, then add the panko and caraway and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 4–6 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
Rinse the pot, then fill it with generously salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and boil, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked (just past al dente) according to the instructions on the package. Strain and rinse under cold water until cool. Return the pasta to the pot.
Stir in the pickles, brine, parsley, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, horseradish, mustard, cayenne, and onion and set aside to marinate for 5 minutes. Stir in the salmon, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and three quarters of the reserved bread crumbs. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (it should be very well seasoned) and more mayonnaise if desired.
Garnish with the remaining bread crumbs and dill fronds. Serve immediately (at room temperature), or cover and chill until ready to serve. (Tightly covered, the salmon pasta salad will keep for 2 days in the fridge; if it looks dry, stir in a couple tablespoons of water.)

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Creamy Asparagus Pasta with Mushrooms, Lemon, and Pecorino

Benjamin Kemper — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 19:12:23 +0000

Photography by Belle Morizio; Food Styling By Jessie YuChen; Prop Styling By Kim Gray; Linens by Solino Home

Too much asparagus might be the definition of a fancy problem, but there I was, looking down at three hefty bunches I impulse-bought on sale. My usual move when faced with a surfeit of veg is to blitz it into a puréed soup, but then I wondered—could asparagus be transformed into a silky, pastel-green sauce for pasta?

The answer, I discovered through trial and error, is a resounding “yes,” especially when you blend peas into the sauce and keep it nice and green by adding a handful of fresh arugula (asparagus, I remembered while testing, isn’t the prettiest shade when cooked).

Morels, shallots, lemon zest, Pecorino—these are the add-ins I wound up loving the most, since they play well together and all but scream spring. Enjoy this asparagus pasta recipe hot—and then (if you’re like me), enjoy it even more the next day straight from the fridge, with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Yield: 4–6

Time: 50 minutes

1½ lb. asparagus (see footnote), bottom inch removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
8 oz. mushrooms, such as morels, chanterelles, or shiitakes, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced ¼-in. thick (3 cups)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
⅔ cup finely chopped shallots
2 cups packed arugula leaves
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 lb. farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 cup packed finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Peel the bottom half of the asparagus stalks down to the white flesh. Remove and reserve the tips, then coarsely chop the stalks.
To a large pot set over medium-high heat, add the oil. When it’s shimmering and hot, add the mushrooms and asparagus tips and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 7 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, stir until melted, then scrape into a bowl and set aside.
To the empty pot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter, the shallots, and asparagus stalks and turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stalks are al dente, about 8 minutes. Add 4½ cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the arugula and peas and boil for 1 minute more. Using an immersion (or regular) blender, process until it’s as smooth as possible. Add salt to taste (it should be assertively seasoned).
Add the farfalle, turn the heat to medium, and cover. Boil, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot every 2 minutes on the dot to prevent sticking, until the pasta is nearly al dente, about 9 minutes.
Uncover, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring every 15 seconds, until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente, 3–5 minutes more. Add the Pecorino, lemon zest and juice, remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and half of the mushroom- asparagus mixture and cook for 1 minute more. Season with black pepper to taste.
To serve, divide the pasta among 4–6 bowls. Garnish each with the remaining asparagus-mushroom mixture, then drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Pecorino.

Note: Seek out asparagus that are ½ inch thick (thinner asparagus can be stringy, and thicker can be woody). Peeling the stalks in step 1 is essential as fibrous bottoms make for a far less creamy sauce.

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