Rigatoni Al Forno With Roasted Asparagus

Our enemy knows that when he strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter (Matt. 26:31), and church leaders – even as the Lord Himself – are Satan’s special targets. The more faithful and fruitful a pastor is, the more his people need to pray for his strength and protection. He is more subject to the devil’s schemes to make him discouraged or self-satisfied, hopeless or superficially optimistic, cowardly or overconfident. Satan uses every situation – favorable or unfavorable, successful or unsuccessful – to try to weaken, distract, and discredit God’s gifted men in their work of “equipping of the saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12).

John MacArthur

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Vegetables, Dairy	Vegetarian	Heaven, Pasta and s, Vegetarian	4	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2	T	Olive oil, may be doubled
3	c	Chopped onion, large chunks
3/4	lb	Rigatoni, or similar
		grooved tubular pasta
1	lb	Asparagus, cut into 2"
		pieces
1/2	t	Salt, plus more to taste
3	T	Balsamic vinegar, 3 to 4
		tbs
		Freshly ground black pepper
1/3	c	Grated parmesan cheese
		plus extra for the top
1/2	c	Bread crumbs
		Balsamic vinegar, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Put up a large potful of water to boil.
Pour the oil into a 9x13-inch 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 1/2 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 'oven-baked,' 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 make-after-work
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)

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 251 Calories From Fat: 30 Total Fat: 3.4g Cholesterol: 7.3mg Sodium: 856.1mg Potassium: 424.4mg Carbohydrates: 47.6g Fiber: 3.9g Sugar: 20.5g Protein: 8.4g