Recipe - Rigatoni Al Forno With Roasted Asparagus

2 tablespoon Olive oil; may be doubled
3 cup Chopped onion; large chunks
Three fourths pound Rigatoni; or similar
grooved, tubular pasta
1 pound Asparagus; cut into 2"
pieces
One half teaspoon Salt; plus more to taste
3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar; (3 to 4
tbs)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Grated parmesan cheese;
(plus extra for the top)
One half cup Bread crumbs
Balsamic vinegar; to serve

Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Put up a large potful of water to boil.

Pour the oil into a 9x13inch baking pan (preferably glass). Break up the
onion chunks with your hands, add them to the oil, and stir them around a
little so they get coated. Place the uncovered pan in the oven and roast
for 5 minutes.

When the water reaches a rapid boil, add the pasta and let it begin cooking
while you continue roasting the vegetables.

After the onions have been in the oven for about 5 minutes, stir in the
asparagus and sprinkle with One half teaspoon salt. Spread everthing into a
single layer, return the pan to the oven, and roast for 5 minutes longer.

Drain the pasts as soon as it is al dente, and stir it into the panful of
onions and asparagus. Add the 3 to 4 tablespoons vinegar, black pepper, and
parmesan, and mix well. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top, and return
the pan to the oven. Bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the
bread crumbs are brown and crisp. Serve hot, and pass around the pepper
mill, extra parmesan and a cruet of additional balsamic vinegar, if
desired. Yields 4 to 5 servings. Prep time 30 minutes. PER SERVING: 522
cals, 11.3 g fat, 19.4%

"Al forno means 'ovenbaked,' and that's one of the wonderful features of
this dish. The vegetables are cooked in a roasting pan right in the oven
and cooked pasta gets added directly to the same pan. Cover, return the pan
to the oven, then bring it directly to the table when it's done. This is a
great makeafterwork dish, and the cleanup is minimal.

*To make this for a crowd, bake two pans simultaneously.

**The rigatoni can be cooked a day or two in advance, lightly oiled and
stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or you can boil it
while you roast the vegetables, as indicated in the recipe.

MENU: Potato Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic; Yuppie Platter: A Warm
Salad of Radicchio, Belgian Endive, and Goat Cheese; Rigatoni al Forno with
Roasted Asparagus amd Onions; Lemon Cloud.

Recipe by: Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven (1997)