tagliatelle with asparagus

tagliatelle con asparagi

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

Asparagus and cream are a match made in heaven, especially when enjoyed over some fresh tagliatelle.

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Ingredients

Fine sea salt
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
14 ounces fresh tagliatelle, or dried tagliatelle
1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 1½ inches of asparagus tips from stalks. Steam tips for 3 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Cut stalks crosswise into ¼-inch rounds.

In a medium saucepan, combine asparagus rounds, shallot and butter; cook over medium heat until butter is melted, then add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.

Add cream, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer pan contents to a blender and purée until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta). Reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

Pour purée into a skillet; bring to a boil. Add asparagus tips, cheese and parsley; return to a boil, then add to bowl with pasta and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning and moisten with a little pasta cooking liquid, if desired. Serve immediately.

October 2010

keywords:

cream sauce, pasta, vegetarian

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Comments [2] | Add your comment

This was good but I found the asparagus flavor a bit overwhelming, it needed a flavor break of some sort. When we had the leftovers the next night I added some sundried tomatoes and that made all the difference.

Posted: November 10, 2011 16:56 by vsherk
This is an amazing recipe. The use of the stalks in the sauce is brilliant, and infuses the pasta with asparagus throughout. It's also incredibluy easy. If you want to do the tips ahead of time, don't boil a whole pot of water - you can steam them for a couple minutes in the microwave instead. I use olive oil instead of butter and it seems to make no difference.

I've made it half a dozen times and everyone raves every time.

Posted: September 27, 2011 21:25 by Ganesh