Is anyone else as excited as me that it is asparagus season again? Asparagus is such a great & versatile vegetable: you can steam it, you can grill it, you can bake it! It almost makes up for the fact that it makes your pee smell funny.
Let's start by discrediting a myth: it is not necessarily true that Italians eat pasta every single day. I certainly don't - pasta is however, my go-to dish when I am looking to throw together something quickly and using up bits & pieces that I have in the fridge. I know I say this a lot, but this is true of a lot of Italian basic dishes: they are a blank canvas. You can really create amazing things by combining different ingredients and there truly are very few rules (for example NEVER put Parmesan cheese on seafood pasta or risotto!). So be creative and unafraid!
Serves 2 as a main
Ingredients:
- 200g of Tricolore Fusilli
- 250g of asparagus tips
- 80g of baby spinach
- 30g of smoked bacon cut into small strips
- 2 teaspoon of garlic & chilli mix (or 1 if you don't like it too spicy)
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 handfuls of sea salt
- a grating of fresh Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)
Method:
Place a medium saucepan on the hob and fill with water. I will be honest I always boil my water in the kettle first to speed up the process; it is not the Italian way but it is efficient and even my mum started using this method! Once the water is boiling, add a handful of sea salt and the asparagus tips. Cook the asparagus for 3 minutes to soften, then remove from the pan and place aside.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, on medium heat - select your pan size carefully as you will eventually need to toss your pasta in here. Add the spice mix, carefully stirring it through into the oil. Add the spinach and the bacon and stir to coat in the oil and spice mix. Once the asparagus tips are done, add them to the pan alongside a teaspoon of thyme. Cook the sauce ingredients for about 8 -10 mins, stirring occasionally.
On the side, start cooking the pasta. Place a large pot of water on a high heat and bring to boil. Add a handful of sea salt (NOT table salt; NEVER table salt for pasta!) and the pasta. Cook as per package instruction. Note: I have used Tricolore Fusilli for this recipe because that was the only pasta I had found at the supermarket, however this is not a recipe requirement. Any type and shape of pasta will be perfectly fine!
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan where your sauce ingredients are. If the liquid has dried out, add an extra drop of olive oil.
When the pasta is coated in the sauce, serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese on top.
Some extra tips
You can easily make your own garlic & chilli spice mix - this works well in a lot of pasta dishes and also with some chicken breast.
It honestly could not be easier: simply combine garlic powder with either chilli powder or chilli flakes (I prefer the latter). Keep you spice mix in a washed jar or a small plastic Tupperware box.
Store away from sources of humidity to avoid moisture ruining it.
Comments