Welcome back to my little corner on the internet!
Spring is here, more or less, it is trying to, and with it the asparagus season. As much as I enjoy asparaguses, I keep wondering about the smell that eating asparagus brings with it. If there is one way to make all humans equal, feed them asparagus and wait till they need to pee.
Anyways, here in Spain, asparagus is being sold at an incredibly low price right now and this means that I’m eating it at least once a week.
Today I wanted to share a very simple and delicious pasta recipe (I’m Italian after all).
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
250 g penne
1 shallot
thyme
salt
pepper
chili flakes
olive oil
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. There you will add some salt and boil the penne al dente (the time depends on the brand – check the package).
Wash the asparaguses, clean them by cutting off the hard edges (if they are very young, their stalk might not have any hard pieces).
Cut them into slices and keep the tips whole for decoration. Finely chop the shallot.
In a skillet, heat up some olive oil and fry the shallots until tender, but not burnt. Add the sliced asparagus and a about one cup of the pasta water. Cook for about 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Now add the tips, thyme and chili flakes to your liking.
Boil some more. The asparagus should still have a bite to it. It should NOT be overcooked and soft. Reduce heat.
Drain the penne when they are al dente and mix them in with the pasta. Remember to make a mess when mixing, because you realise, once again, that the pan is too small.
Serve with a heap of Grana Padano (Parmigiano Reggiano might also be acceptable). If you are like me, the cheese-pasta ratio should be at least 2-1.
Do you like asparagus? Let me know in the comments below.
Love,
Raffi
