Continuation: The Allure of the Twirl

It’s that fucking twirl. In March I identified that part of my pasta obsession revolved around the act of twirling. Twirling long strands around my fork and piling it into my mouth. In that March meal, Ricotta-ed Spinach with Noodle Onions and Parsnips, I omitted the pasta altogether and satisfied my twirl craving with butter-enveloped long, thin onion strands.

Last night, however, I doubled the twirl intake. I bought extra tall spring onions at the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market and decided they should not be chopped. I should honor their slender ways and keep them intact.

Spring Onion “Noodles” with Whole Wheat Capellini, Asparagus and Feta

Although I didn’t chop the onions horizontally, I did slice them in half long-ways. The bottom of the onion was more onion-like and I sliced that into rounds. But first, I boiled asparagus, shocked it, and cut it into pieces. In a pan with oil and butter I browned the onion-like rounds, then added the long onion strands to get soft, then added in the asparagus. I threw in 3 cloves of chopped garlic and lowered the heat.

When the whole wheat capellini was ready I used the spaghetti claw to grab the pasta, letting plenty of the pasta water drip into the pan with the onion mixture. I tossed everything together in the pan, including a ton of feta, butter, salt and pepper. When everything was incorporated, I poured it into a bowl, seasoned again with coarse sea salt and then set it on to plates.

I’m a saver. My brother and his girlfriend went to Italy maybe a year and a half ago. He brought me back a small bottle of what I’ve dubbed, finishing oil. Oil not to cook with, but to use as a topper. I finally deemed  a dish worthy of finishing oil. So with a shredding of parm and a drizzle of oil, the pasta and onion “pasta” was complete.