Asparagus Pasta

Ingredients for  4  Servings

• 350g

  Asparagus, woody ends removed
• 2 tbsp

  Olive oil
• 1

  Onion, finely chopped
• 2

  Garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp

  Fresh thyme leaves
• 350g

  Short pasta, such as fusilli or penne
• 100g

  Peas, fresh or frozen and defrosted
• 1

  Lemon, zested, plus juice of half
• 50g

  Parmesan (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated, plus extra to serve
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  Less than 30 minutes
• Cooking :

  10 to 30 minutes

Method

1. Remove the tips of the asparagus and set aside. Finely chop the remaining stems. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion, garlic, thyme and chopped asparagus stems for 10 minutes, or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling water for 8–10 minutes, adding the asparagus tips and peas for the final 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and reserve 150ml cooking water.
3. Transfer the asparagus stems mixture to a blender. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of the pasta water and blend until smooth.
4. Return to the frying pan and gently fold in the pasta, asparagus tips and peas. Pour in enough of the reserved cooking water to make a rich sauce.
5. Divide between four plates and serve with extra Parmesan.