The Creamiest Asparagus Pasta

One for the asparagus lovers, this is the ultimate in nose-to-tail vegetable eating as it uses the whole spear. The tough bits you usually discard get braised until soft, then whizzed into a bright green, intensely asparagus-y sauce. Genius.

ingredients

serves 2

A bunch of asparagus
20g butter
A splash of oil
2 shallots or 1 white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
150g double cream
30g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve
250g pasta of your choice (I used delicious Crosta & Mollica Fiorelli)
A few handfuls of toasted pine nuts, to serve
Lemon zest, to serve

instructions

Separate the tender part of the asparagus from the tough ends. Slice the tender part into 4-5 pieces, and finely slice the tough ends into thin coins.

 In a pan over a medium heat, melt the butter with the splash of oil and gently fry the shallots with a pinch of salt until tender, about 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and continue frying for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the sliced tough asparagus ends and allow to gently fry for 5 minutes until soft. Pop a lid on top if you want to speed this up.

 Next, stir the double cream into the pan and gently simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly reduced, then add the grated Parmesan and blitz with a stick blender (or transfer to a blender to puree) until smooth. Season with a little pepper and keep warm.

 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente, adding the sliced asparagus tops for the last 3 minutes until tender.

 Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water. Pour the pasta and the asparagus into the warm sauce and over a very low heat, stir together with a few splashes of pasta water until the sauce nicely coats the pasta.

 Transfer to plates and sprinkle over the pine nuts, a little extra Parmesan and some lemon zest.