This is a hearty, elemental meal best enjoyed a glass of wine and a loved one. (Or alone on the couch, or in an earthquake, or on the run from the mafia …)

Some of you will balk at anchovies. If I can’t convince you to try them, use sun dried tomatoes in oil instead. The results will be tasty but not as tasty.

I thought I hated anchovies until I made the acquaintance of a fine, older New Orleans dame. She came from an old French family and had a drawer full of silver baubles from cotillions past. She stored cheese unwrapped in her refrigerator and called it “the larder.” She prepared indulgent, elegant foods like chocolate sin cake, made with only butter, chocolate, eggs, and sugar. Somehow these things were all so sexy, so European.

The ethos of her cuisine was “simple elegance” – very French – and she liked to use anchovies. I could never detect them – except to remark, “Wow, this is good, what the devil’s in it?” (You could say stuff like “what the devil” around her and somehow it worked.)

The below recipe isn’t hers, it’s mine, but it evokes her elusive “simple elegance” – easy to enjoy but hard to master. Let me know if you try it!

Pasta Marguerite
(1 serving;5 WW points)

1/2-1 cup whole wheat pasta, volume depending on appetite/WW points/goals
2 anchovies in oil plus 1-2 tsp of oil from anchovy tin
1/2-1 clove garlic, minced
1/4-3/4 chopped arugula or other spicy greens
6-10 asparagus spears (according to taste)
1-2 tablespoons parmesan, asiago, or other hard cheese
pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Get your pasta water going. Skip salting the water; the dish will be plenty salty.
2. Slip the garlic and the anchovies into a small saucepan over medium heat. As the oil warms, mash the anchovies – they’ll “melt” into the oil so you won’t have to look at them any longer.
3. Chop your greens into a medium-fine chop – think of them as fresh herbs. Also chop the asparagus: leave the tips whole and chop the remainder into half-inch pieces.
4. By now your water should be ready. Toss in your pasta; use any size and shape noodles. I like the wide, flat paparelle noodles from TJ’s; the lemon-pepper variety is especially tasty and attractive for this meal. (They have slightly less fiber than the whole wheat but plenty of protein.)
5. When you’ve got 2-3 minutes of cooking time left for the pasta, add the asparagus to the water – just enough time for the perfect crisp-tender bite.
6. Drain the pasta and asparagus, then mix everything together, adding the greens at the very last. Top with pepper.
7. The ingredients above are for one. Simply adjust according to the number of people you have. Using ¾ cup pasta, 1 tsp anchovy oil, 2 tbsp cheese, your dish – which is a big, filling bowlful – is only 5 WW points. Enjoy!