Spring is in the air

All the food blogs are talking about ramps today (ramp pasta, ramp pizza, more ramp pizza) and I'm stuck in the library studying endocrine hormone synthesis. 1) I can't even find ramps 2) I can't even afford ramps 3) you probably haven't even heard of ramps. Happily, we learned about erections and orgasms this morning, which is more exciting than ramps any day of the week.

But I still want to celebrate spring, so here's what I'm making for dinner:

Pasta with asparagus and pesto (amounts for 1 serving):

• 1/4 bunch of asparagus
• 3-4 tbsp basil pesto*
• 1/4 box of pasta
• parmesan

Prep the asparagus as you boil the pasta water: wash, chop off the last inch at the bottom, and then chop into 1-inch pieces. There are a few ways you could cook the asparagus: you could steam it above the pasta water, saute it in a drop of olive oil in a pan, or microwave it for a minute or two it in a bowl with some water at the bottom. Cook until it no longer tastes like raw grass, but still retains its crunch (overcooked asparagus is soggy and a yellower green).

Toss your cooked pasta, asparagus, and pesto together in a bowl or frying pan, then serve with parmesan.

Doesn't that look like spring?

*About the pesto: I make my own in large batches and freeze it into single servings using an ice cube tray (tricks for keeping food from going bad!). The internet is flooded with pesto recipes so I won't include one here.