This is a rich, delicious pasta dish for a rainy summer night from the June issue of Bon Appetit. The goat cheese really brings out the lemon flavor, and I was surprised how much I liked the asparagus cooked in the pasta water (usually I just like it grilled). I actually added some cooked, crumbled bacon pieces to the top to cut the rich flavor. My batch was uber-lemony, and this might be because I used some of my lemon olive oil in this dish. Next time, I’ll stick only to the lemon peel. It’s plenty of flavor in this dish.

As usual, I halved the original amounts (I’ve posted the halved version).

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Asparagus (adapted from June ’09 Bon Appetit)
3 servings
**Note from Bon Appetit: Don’t buy pre-crumbled goat cheese, it doesn’t melt as nicely.

1/2 lb. fusilli or rotini
1/2 lb. slender asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-1.5″ pieces
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon (forgot this at the store, so I used dried)
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
3 slices bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water for 7 minutes. Add the asparagus and cookanother 3 minutes, until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite.

While the pasta cooks, combine olive oil, lemon peel, and tarragon in large bowl.

Coarsely crumble in goat cheese.

Drain pasta and asparagus, reserving 1/2 a cup of the pasta water. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to the cheese mixture with 1/4 cup of the reserved water, tossing to coat and melt the cheese. Add more liquid as necessary. Season pasta with salt and pepper.

Serve and garnish with tarragon sprigs (and bacon like I did).