OK, So I have read

OK, So I have read in the comments box a demand for recipes, and at lunch today I was accosted by two readers who wanted recipes, so here you go:

The other day I made a pasta, and I will tell you what was in it.

I started by preparing a bunch of asparagus (peeled the bottom part, par-boiled in salted water, trimmed to bite size pieces).

Then I put on my pasta water.

Then I sauteed first a diced shallot, then the asparagus in butter and olive oil.

Then I added a pound and a half of wonderful smoked salmon (I got this stuff at Galvan's in San Leandro - I will wax poetic on this amazing butcher and deli some other time) and about 2/3 cup of fruity dry white wine.

At this point the pasta water was boiling, so I added salt and a pound of penne (I have been smitten by this stuff from my family's village in the hills above Pisa - you can find it at Trader Joe's. It is extruded through bronze and has an artisanal feel to it).

After the wine reduced, I added fleur de sel and cream. I let this simmer until the pasta was a little firmer than al dente, then put the pasta, fairly wet, into the sauce to continue cooking. When the pasta was cooked to al dente, I added fresh cracked pepper and served with a chilled Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare. Yummmy!