Why not cook pasta as you do risotto? That is, add broth a bit at a time and stir frequently, with the goal being a creamy, quickly made pasta (no waiting for the requisite gallon of water to boil!) that requires only marginally more attention than the standard variety. The concept is simple, it makes sense—pasta, like Arborio and other rices used for risotto, is plenty starchy enough—and it takes just the use of good-quality stock and a vegetable to make the dish delicious. If you’re using canned stock and have a little time, heat it with an onion, a carrot, and a garlic clove before beginning to add it to the pasta. And don’t salt the dish until you’re finished cooking; canned stock can be overly salty.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　1 pound asparagus

　　3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 pound penne, gemelli, or other cut pasta (long pasta will be far too unwieldy)

　　6 to 8 cups good-quality stock, heated

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

　　

Step 1

Break the woody ends from the asparagus and peel the stalks if necessary. (If you use thin asparagus, you won’t have to peel them at all; thicker asparagus should be peeled from the bottom of the flower to the end of the stalk.) Break or cut off the flower ends and cut the stems into 1/2-inch sections (it looks a little nicer if you cut the stems on a diagonal, but this is hardly essential).

　　

Step 2

Put half the butter or oil in a deep 10- or 12-inch skillet or a broad saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high; when it melts, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes more.

　　

Step 3

Add a ladleful of stock. As the stock is absorbed and the pasta swells, add more stock and continue to stir once in a while, until the pasta is beginning to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus stalks and continue to add stock as needed until the pasta is just about done, another 5 minutes or so.

　　

Step 4

Add the asparagus tips and a little more stock, stirring until the tips are crisp-tender, the pasta is cooked to your liking, and the mixture is moist but not soupy (add a little more stock if necessary). Stir in the remaining butter or oil and the Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste if you like and serve.

　　

Variations

Step 5

Substitute carrots, cut into small chunks, for the asparagus; they add vivid color and a marked sweetness. Or experiment with other vegetables.

　　

Step 6

Any sharp grated cheese will fill in well for the Parmigiano-Reggiano, especially pecorino Romano.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.