Recipe: Vegan Scampi Pasta with Asparagus and Walnuts

Scampi, in the restaurant world, is a dish of shrimp sautéed in garlic butter and tossed with parsley and fresh lemon juice. In this version, dulse stands in for the flavor of seafood and the garlic-lemon sauce is tossed with thin pasta. This is a very fast meal, so get your pot of water boiling first.

 

Scampi Pasta with Asparagus and Walnuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces capellini or angel hair pasta or gluten-free pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw walnuts
• 1/4 cup dulse seaweed flakes
• 1/4 cup packed finely chopped parsley
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

 

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Cool the pasta under running cold water, drain, and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and walnuts. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to medium. Add the dulse, parsley, and asparagus. Cook, stirring, until the asparagus is partially cooked, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and continue to cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, another 2 minutes.
5. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the reserved pasta, and the other 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring, until the pasta is heated through and the sauce has thickened.
6. Season to taste with salt, plenty of black pepper, and the rest of the lemon juice, if needed. Serve hot.

 

Chef’s Tip

If you have a wok, this is a great place to use it. Garlic or walnut pieces can be pushed up the side of the wok, out of higher heat, if any of them brown faster than the others. When the sauce is ready to be tossed with the pasta, you’ll have plenty of room to combine them.

 

 

From Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever. ©2014 Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.