Green is the colour of summer, which spreads when the trees cover themselves with their leaves and the flowers begin to bloom. But in this fantastic season it is not only the flowers that are the protagonists; nature also offers us wonderful vegetables ready to enrich our dishes! This is just the case with asparagus, so delicate and delicious it is perfect to give taste to a first course.
Today I present diced ham with asparagus. a pastel shade and sweet taste that is enhanced by a cascade of crispy bacon cubes, but if you are looking for a vegetarian version, just omit them and make a tasty pasta with asparagus and fontina cheese, for example! Ideal for a family lunch or dinner with friends, pasta with asparagus and bacon is just waiting to be tasted!
Asparagus and bacon with any type of pasta can be eaten cold. In this case boil it, drain it al dente, place it on a very large plate, season it with a drizzle of oil, stir it and let it cool. Then put it in a bowl, add the seasoning, stir and leave to rest in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. It also makes for a great next day meal.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
200g fresh asparagus
100g diced bacon
200g dried tagliatelle
20g fresh Parmesan, grated
sea salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus stalks and discard them.
Cut 4cm off the top of each stalk, place to one side and finely chop the remaining stalks. Heat a wide frying pan and gently fry the chopped asparagus stalks in a little olive oil with the diced bacon. When the asparagus softens slightly and the diced bacon becomes crispy, then turn the heat off and mash the asparagus roughly with a fork.
Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water, according to packet instructions. Add the asparagus tips for the last 2 minutes of cooking time.
Drain the pasta and toss with the mashed asparagus and diced bacon.
Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese and season with the sea salt and pepper. Serve with the remaining Parmesan sprinkled on top.