MY RACHEL'S FAVORITE

Well I have had a long day.....locked my keys in the car with the car running....so BLONDE. So today I have to give you all an easy recipe because my head is obviously not screwed on right.

This is Rachel's favorite dish that I make. In fact in my three ring binder of recipes it is called "Rachel's Favorite". It a mushroom and asparagus pasta dish. It is also a good one for all of us in keeping with our Lenten promise for no-meat Fridays.

Again this is a recipe you can change up by changing the vegetables. You should use a hearty vegetable that can stand up to 10-15 minutes of cooking like cauliflower for example.

Ingredients:
1 box penne pasta
5 tbl unsalted butter
1 lb of mushrooms either button or cremini quartered
1 lb asparagus chopped into 1/4 in pieces
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot minced
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped (optional)

While making the sauce, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente and drain

Meanwhile melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and saute until the water from the mushrooms is mostly gone, about 5-7 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook about 5 minutes. Stir in mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, nutmeg and let it cook until it thickens a bit about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the pasta and toss in the mixture to combine. Taste the sauce, if it needs salt and pepper add to taste. I like a little kick so I add pepper for sure. Add the walnuts if you desire. Serve with a nice crusty Italian bread.
ENJOY!