PASTA WITH LEMON, ASPARAGUS, TOMATOES, PEPPERS, PINENUTS AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Quickly toast the pinenuts in very hot olive oil. Remove the pinenuts from the oil and set both aside. Roast the peppers and put them in a bag to steam. Peel and cut into strips. [I was also making Grilled Eggplant Stacks so it was easy to roast the peppers first.] Put peppers into a very large mixing or serving bowl. Add the halved tomatos, diced green onions, lemon zest and toasted pine nuts. In a food processer, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, whole grained dijon mustard and garlic. Process until garlic is finely chopped and ingredients are incorporated. Meanwhile cook pasta. [If you can't find a fusilli bucati corti, a regular fusilli might be okay, or even a gemelli or radiatore. I'd probably go for the radiatore, because texture is part of the appeal.] About two minutes before the pasta is done, throw the pencil asparagus into the boiling water with the pasta. Cook until both the pasta and the asparagus are al dente. Drain and add to the bowl with the vegetables and pine nuts. Toss with the lemon/olive oil/mustard/garlic mixture. Crumble the goat cheese [don't substitute feta - it's too sharp and dry] into the pasta and toss again. The goat cheese will melt into the pasta and hold all the ingredients together. Enjoy! Texture, as well as taste is important in this recipe. The whole grained dijon, curly lemon zest, toasted crunchy pinenuts and shaped pasta help make this a special dinner. This recipe makes BUNCH. Four of use devoured it and there was still some left for two of us to eat cold [which was also fabulous] for lunch the next day. I would post a picture of this if I could In addition to tasting sooooo good - it's just really pretty, too.