creamy cheese tortellini with asparagus

This month's issue of Gourmet brings many tempting recipes to test. On Sunday night, I made this delectable pasta dish on what was a very rainy and dreary day. The kinda day that makes me sigh and may even cause one to frown, and carry on a "blah" disposition. It's supposed to be "spring" and here in Indiana, spring often equates wet. Rain. Thunderstorms (the coolest, I might add). We even got some snow! But this pasta dish sprung my spirits back into spring with its delicate cream sauce and tender, crisp asparagus bits. Here's an adapted version of the recipe:

Creamy Cheese Tortellini with Asparagus (Gourmet - April 2009 issue, adapted)

4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth

2 strips of lemon zest

3 sprigs of thyme (or more if you like)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into small pieces on diagonal

2/3 c. heavy cream

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 bag of dried, refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini

Bring together broth, zest, thyme, garlic, and pepper to a boil and reduce til 1 c. is left. This took alot longer than the "6 mins" the recipe stated.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Stir cornstarch into cream and whisk into broth until it boils and simmer for a few minutes til the sauce comes together. Add chopped asparagus and simmer until, crisp and tender, 2-3 mins. Add cooked pasta and grated cheese, stir unto well combined and heated through.

Calamari Time.

Perhaps this isn't a typical snack food in your home, but come on, party people, live it up every now and then! Always a fan of calamari, it is often an appetizer I'm drawn to when dining out. I've had it on my mind for a while, and I finally gave it my very first try. Here in Fort Wayne, the closet thing we have to a Whole Foods is The Fresh Market, where I purchased my calamari (previously froze, but clean), only $4.99 a pound. I choose a recipe from my big yellow Gourmet cookbook. Often restaurants will serve this creature deep fried in what I assume is all-purpose flour. In fact I would venture to say that these creatures might get a double dip in the fryer too. The Gourmet recipe suggested frying the calamari in rice flour, which I was able to find at a local grocery store. The difference is quite substantial, the rice flour coating (which aside from the rice flour included salt and pepper, but I think I will add some herbs next time) was very light and delicate. I wasn't able to achieve the deep golden brown we are all used to, but I think I was having "hot oil" issues to boot, not to mention that fact that I ran out of canola oil. I think next time I will try peanut oil instead too. I made a warm marinara sauce to go with it (drives me nuts when a marinara sauce is served cold with this dish), blended a can of chopped tomatoes, slowly cooked with a couple of garlic cloves, salt, and red chili pepper flakes. A perfect accompaniment, but not too long ago, I ate calamari served with a basil aioli. It's all a matter of personal preference, I suppose. Be careful not to over-fry them, they lose their chewy edge.