Those gourmet gods (and goddesses) at The Cookery School at Daylesford, have created a Spring meets Summer spectacular – ready in just 20 minutes. Isn’t that nice of them?

Delicious asparagus is thankfully pretty easy to get hold during lockdown as it’s seasonal, but you can go all Insta-swanky too and substitute shop-bought garlic for wild garlic if you like (look out for these easy-to-find edibles on your daily walks). I’m doing most of my extensive foraging in my biscuit jar at the moment, anyone else?

And best of all – it’s ready in five simple steps. That leaves more time to mix the Aperol (obviously).

If you want to pimp it up in different ways over the week (they’ll never notice it’s the same dish) you can easily swap the asparagus for handfuls of wilted spinach, finely chopped broccoli, sliced beetroot tops or delicious kale. Dive in!

Fresh Pasta with Asparagus & Wild Garlic

Ingredients

Serves: 2 (double measures for a family of 4)

Cooking time: 20 mins

1 shallot, finely diced
4 spears of asparagus
200g fresh pasta
Handful of wild garlic
100g frozen peas
50g hard cheese such as Spenwood, Manchego or Parmesan (optional)
Handful of pitted olives, halved (optional)

METHOD

Prepare the asparagus by cutting the spears vertically into long, thin strips with a sharp knife, vegetable peeler or a mandolin.

Set a sauté pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Add the shallot and sweat for 2 minutes. Once softened, add the asparagus strips and season with salt & pepper. Continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the pasta and swirl around with a wooden spoon to stop it from sticking. When the pasta is nearly done but still has some bite, lift it from the water with tongs and transfer to the sauté pan with the softened shallots and asparagus. Do not discard the pasta cooking water.

Toss the pasta together with the asparagus and shallot, adding a handful of cheese, the wild garlic and peas.

Return the sauté pan to a low-medium heat. Add a ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and a handful of cheese, tossing the pan as you go over a low heat so the sauce does not split. Repeat until all the cheese has melted and you have a glossy sauce. Once you are happy with the consistency, divide the pasta between two serving plates. Top with a final sprinkling of cheese or chopped olives and enjoy.

Appetite whetted? Head to our Recipes section for more culinary inspiration and cook up a storm.

Speedy supper: Fresh Pasta with Asparagus & Wild Garlic

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