Wake up your taste buds with flavorful pasta dish

The e-mail from my sister came last week with a three-word subject line: desperately seeking flavor. "I make dinner, I put it on my plate, eat two bites, then collapse from boredom," she wrote. "Every-thing I make these days tastes so bland, so blah, so … March. Send recipes forthwith."\nThe message represents sentiments felt in kitchens and dining rooms across the country, including my own, this time of year. The gastronomic pleasures of winter and summer feel equally distant, making the simplest quest for flavor as elusive as an escape from early spring's gray torrent of mid-semester paperwork, tax returns and fickle forecasts. I set to work compiling a short list of recipes for immediate dispatch as well as for a self-inflicted culinary kick in the pants.\nIn the process, I was reminded that the simplest preparations can be the most savory. The pasta recipe I am offering this week, similar to one I tasted at the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, Calif., proves that point and tops my list of anti-blah, flavor-bolstered recipes. I could happily eat it every day.\nThe leek is the aromatic star of the recipe. Leeks are usually behind-the-scenes contributors in pastas, but here their gently sweet flavor creates the foundation of a richly satisfying spring dish. If you have never cooked with leeks, this streamlined concoction is an excellent place to start.\nLocating leeks in the supermarket is a breeze; they look like green onions on steroids. Although leeks are available all year, they reach their peak in springtime. As you huddle in the chilly produce aisle, narrowly avoiding intermittent bursts of overhead water spray, remember this creed: bigger is not necessarily better. Large leeks can be tough, with a woody, flavorless core. Choose smaller, slender leeks to escape the flavor doldrums.\nLeeks are a member of the onion family and are typically sold with a significant portion of their long, dark leaves still attached. While pretty, the dark green leaves should be discarded or reserved for flavoring stocks and other soups (try chopping them up and stowing them in the freezer for a future spring soup).\nThe prize of any leek is the white and pale green portion. Ironically, this is also the dirtiest part of the vegetable. The problem is easily remedied: Cut off the dark green leaves and stem end, then cut the remaining light green and white end in half. Place the halves into a colander and flush with water, separating the layers of the leek to remove every last trace of grit.\nThe assertive piquancy of goat cheese is a perfect complement to the sweetness of the leeks and asparagus in this pasta. But if you are at odds with tangy goat products, substitute mild feta cheese, blue cheese or a soft herbed cheese such as Boursin or Rondele.\nWhen you place this dish on the table, take a moment to savor the intensely aromatic steam rising from the dish; it will wrap around you like a warm and fragrant shawl. Serve it with lots of warm crusty bread to mop up any sauce on your plate.\nSPRING FUSILLI PASTA with LEEKS AND ASPARAGUS\n1 bunch leeks (about 1 pound)\n12 ounces fusilli or other corkscrew pasta\n1 tablespoon butter\n1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed off, then cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces\n1 4-ounce package (4 ounces) soft goat cheese, crumbled*\n1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil leaves\nCut off root and leaf ends from leeks. Discard any tough outer leaves. Cut each leek lengthwise in half. Transfer leeks to colander and rinse with cold water, separating leaves to remove all grit. Repeat process until all signs of dirt are removed. Drain well. In a large saucepot, prepare pasta in boiling salted water as package directs.\nMeanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in asparagus, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; cook 5 minutes longer, stirring often. Add 1/3 cup water; cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp.\nDrain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to saucepot. Add asparagus mixture, pasta cooking water, half of goat cheese, and the basil; toss well. Spoon into large serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining goat cheese and coarsely ground black pepper. Makes 4 servings.\n*NOTE: feta, blue or herbed soft cheese (e.g., Boursin or Rondele) can be substituted for goat cheese.