Continuing on my love of fresh Spring / Summer pastas, I wanted to share this asparagus pasta whilst it’s still in season in the UK. You can make this in under half an hour but with a bit of presentation polish, it can look really quite fancy…
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
Ricotta cheese
Olive oil and butter (using both makes things extra rich and creamy)
Pecorino (Parmigiano Reggiano or a vegetarian hard cheese also work)
Lemon juice
Filling:
Linguine (or spaghetti – just make sure with either that you use a high-quality bronze die cut pasta)
Garlic
Asparagus
Garnish:
Unwaxed lemon zest
Blanched almonds
Fresh parsley
TIPS
This is a very simple recipe but a few techniques and presentation skills can really take it to the next level. I recommend blitzing the ricotta with the lemon juice in a food processor to make it smooth and creamy, though you could hand whisk it in a pinch. I recommend taking some time to slice the blanched almonds into slithers and cutting the asparagus stems at an angle. When it comes to dishing up, pick up the linguine with a set of tongs, place it in a ladle and twist it around the tongs before gently lowering your little pasta nest into its dish.
Asparagus, Lemon and Ricotta Linguine
A simple seasonal creamy asparagus pasta
Ingredients
- 150g of linguine
- 10 spears of asparagus (trim the ends and discard, then slice the stems at an angle)
- 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, crushed or grated)
- 100g of ricotta cheese
- 1 unwaxed lemon (juice and zest)
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of blanched almonds
- 50g of Italian hard cheese (finely grated) (+ a little extra for topping)
- A small handful (c. 2g) of parsley (roughly chopped)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a large, wide-based pan, over a medium heat add the blanched almonds and toast until they pick up some colour (this should take 5-7 minutes) – slice them down the middle lengthways and set them aside
- Boil the kettle and in the same pan, melt together the oil and butter over a medium heat and add the garlic – once fragrant (2-3 minutes) add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper, it should be tender in 10 minutes
- Cook the pasta al dente, as per pack instructions (e.g. if 10 minutes is ‘cooked’, cook for only 8) – don’t use an excessive amount of water (the pasta just needs to be covered) and salt generously, also use a pair of tongs to make sure the linguine strings don’t stick together and are fully submerged
- In a food processor (if you don’t have one, whisk vigorously) combine the lemon juice with the ricotta, season and blend until smooth and creamy – this can then be added to the asparagus and the heat turned off
- Use the tongs to add the linguine to the main pan
- Gradually add the hard cheese in small handfuls and agitate the pan / use the tongs to stir so it melts in, add c. 1 cup of pasta water gradually to help emulsify the sauce
- Once the sauce is smooth and to your desired consistency, serve up the pasta with the lemon zest, a little extra finely-grated cheese, parsley and the almond slices
Let me know if you try this fresh pasta dish!
See how I make this dish here:
But First, Food 
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