Asparagus, basil and pasta salad
Phil Vickery says: English asparagus is the best in the world and has always been a great favourite of mine. It’s only around for a month or two between May and June so make the most of it. Once the season is underway it’s good value for money at around £2 for 450g/1lb. Do buy the young spears as the older jumbo spears will need to be peeled and cooked for slightly longer. Asparagus always works well with pasta and parmesan so here a great lunch dish using all three.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
250g/9oz fresh pasta spirals200g/7oz English asparagus tips
For the dressing
2 tsp Dijon mustard2 tbsp white wine vinegar6 tbsp olive oil100g/3½oz parmesan shavings2 tbsp chopped fresh basilsalt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cook asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender and drain well
Whisk together mustard and vinegar , then slowly add olive oil, still whisking until emulsified then gently stir in Parmesan shavings
Combine cooked, drained pasta with the asparagus and mix together, adding the dressing, chopped basil and salt and pepper
Phil's tips
Fresh pasta weighs about one and a half times as much as dried pasta, so if you want to use dried pasta for this recipe you’ll need about 175g/6oz
If the dressing thickens too much you can thin it slightly with a few drops of cold water
To make parmesan shavings use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to shave thin slices off the side of the block of parmesan
Blitz those asparagus spears into a warming soup
Indulge with bubble and squeak with asparagus and butter sauce