Pasta Dinner for Two in Paris

Since our arrival in Paris several weeks ago, I’ve delighted in cooking meals for two –my husband and moi! The apartment we’ve rented is in a quartier filled with food shops. I can walk to the Bon Marché’s Grand Épicerie when I want to splurge on special ingredients. There’s an excellent cheese shop, a great charcuterie, and one of Eric Kayser’s boulangerie/patisserie outposts nearby. However, what I cook has to be simple because the kitchen in the apartment is ”petite!” Penne with Mascarpone, Fresh Peas, and Asparagus is a perfect dish to prepare in a small kitchen with limited equipment.
While the penne cooked in a pot of boiling water, it took me only a few minutes to trim and slice the asparagus and measure out the peas. During the last four minutes of the pasta’s cooking time, I added the vegetables to the pot so that both finished together. I also had enough time to quickly sauté some bacon lardons–an optional garnish.
After draining the penne, peas, and asparagus, I tossed them with mascarpone (which melts and becomes a sauce) along with some grated Parmesan. For serving, this colorful spring pasta is mounded in bowls and sprinkled with more Parmesan, snipped chives, and crispy bacon pieces. (The latter can be omitted if you want to keep this dish vegetarian.) Voilà!  A delicious dinner for two that takes about 25 minutes to prepare. Oh, and this recipe can be doubled easily if you’d like to serve more!  Bon appétit from Paris!