Angel Hair Pasta with
Crabmeat, Oven-dried Tomatoes & Asparagus
Serves: 4
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| Angel Hair Pasta with Crabmeat, Oven-dried Tomatoes & Asparagus |
This is a
relatively simple, yet elegant, pasta dish that is certain to impress. It
always takes people by surprise. The flavor of the crab, the texture and color of caviar garnish and the bright green asparagus, make a beautiful
presentation. Use your favorite seasonal crab in this dish. If you are not up
to making your own angel hair pasta, buying it fresh from your local Italian
grocer is fine. But, if not available, use a high quality Italian
dried pasta. Oven drying the tomatoes
really boosts their flavor (see after the pasta recipe for instructions). However it does require prior planning, so don't cut corners here if you can. They will
keep refrigerated covered for 3-4 days so can be prepared well in advance.
To make
perfectly cooked pasta, there are a few basic rules to follow. For every pound
of pasta, use 4 quarts of cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat,
add salt – enough so it “tastes like the ocean” – and when the water comes back
to a rolling boil, add the pasta. Lower the heat slightly, stir the pasta with
a long-handled spoon or fork, and cook until the pasta is al dente, or “firm to
the tooth”. It will take a shorter time to cook freshly made pasta than dried
store-bought.
I have
posted numerous healthy recipes on the blog. Well, this one...not so much. But,
one has to splurge sometime – and this is worth it. I would say portion control
is important but it is impossible not to want to eat your entire portion.
- 8 Tb (1
stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 Tb chopped
shallots
- 2 garlic
cloves, minced
- ½ C
oven-dried tomatoes cut into bite size pieces (recipe below)
- 2 C chicken
stock
- ½ C heavy
cream
- Kosher salt
and freshly ground pepper
- 14 oz. fresh
or store-bought angel hair pasta
- 8-10 oz.
jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1/3 C
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tb chopped
fresh basil leaves, plus 8 whole leaves for garnish
- ¼ C chopped
fresh Italian parsley
- 20 medium
asparagus blanched, refreshed in cold water & gently dried
- 1 Tb plus 1
tsp golden caviar, optional
In a large
skillet or sauté pan, melt the butter. Over medium heat, sauté the shallots and
garlic until golden. Stir in the tomatoes and pour in the stock and cream.
Season lightly with salt and pepper. Reduce by half. This can be done up to 1
hour in advance of serving.
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| The sauce....do not even think about the calories! |
While the
sauce is reducing, bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Add salt and stir.
Angel hair pasta takes very little time to cook. If fresh, it will take 1-2
minutes. If dried, follow package directions for al dente. Drain the pasta and
add it to the sauce with the crabmeat, tossing the mixture well to heat through
and coat with the sauce.
 |
| A mound of your favorite crab--this one is Dungeness |
Remove from
the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese, basil and parsley and adjust the
seasoning to taste.
To blanch the asparagus, bring salted water to a boil for 3-4 min and then put directly into ice.
 |
| Blanched asparagus |
To serve,
divide and mound the pasta in the center of 4 large heated pasta bowls or
plates. Place 5-6 asparagus into each mound, top each portion with 1 tsp of
golden caviar if desired, and garnish with a few whole basil leaves. Serve
immediately.
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| Final product, with that beautiful caviar topping |
This is a
truly elegant sure-to-impress entrée. It actually comes together quite quickly
if the tomatoes have been oven dried in advance. If no time, and you have
amazing fresh tomatoes, peel and use them.
There are several white wines that would pair well with this dish, such
as a dry Chardonnay, (would avoid an oaked wine), Chablis, dry Riesling, white
Burgundy or a California Sauvignon Blanc.
Bon Appetit!
Larue
Oven-dried Tomatoes
Makes about 1½ C
- 12-14 medium Roma tomatoes (2 lbs.)
- 1/4-1/2 C olive oil
- Several sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
Preheat oven
to 250 degree F. Peel tomatoes with a serrated peeler. Alternatively, in a pot
of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain and
peel. Once peeled, core and cut into quarters, removing seeds.
 |
| Peeling the tomatoes |
Line a
baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray,
cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and
pepper and add thyme sprigs.
Bake until
tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to
handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the container.
Refrigerate and use as needed.
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| How they look after oven drying and covered in olive oil |
Recipe is modified from Wolfgang Puck.
