Pasta with asparagus and almond pesto (Tagliatelle con pesto di asparagi e mandorle)
Italy is without a doubt the country of good food. 😊
All regions and cities have typical local specialties that you should definitely taste if you go to these places.
Not many countries can boast of something like this.
Sicily, like all of Italy, is a region with a great culinary tradition.
Among the typical products, "pestos" stand out.
They make different pestos with different ingredients, dried tomatoes with almonds, with pistachios, with aubergines, etc., all of which are excellent for pasta.
If you thought until now that the only pesto in the world is Genovese, with basil, pine nuts, cheese and garlic, you are wrong.
Sicily also stands out in the preparation of these sauces.
The word "pesto" indicates a way of preparing ingredients. All the ingredients are crushed in a mortar
Today, it is more common to use a mixer instead of the mortar. It is faster and more convenient, although the result is not the same, say the mortar's admirers. (I agree with them on that).
For this recipe, I made homemade tagliatelle, but you can also use a type of pasta that is long, e.g. spaghetti, linguine or bucatini. Enjoy this delicious dish that tastes of spring and Italy.
Diff: 1
Preparation: 20'
Cooking time: 20'
Wine: Etna Bianco
Ingredients for 2-3 people:
- 350 g tagliatelle/spaghetti/linguine
- 300 g of asparagus
- 60 g parmesan, grated
- 40 g pecorino cheese, grated
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds, plus for decoration
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
This is what you do:
Cut off the bottom and hard part of the asparagus stalks.
Peel the lower parts of the stalks thinly with potato peelers.
Rinse and tie the asparagus stalks into bundles.
Place the bundles in a tall pot of boiling lightly salted water, so that the tips stick out of the water. Let them cook for 5-7 minutes until they are "al dente". Take care of the water.
Immediately place the asparagus in a form of ice-cold water. Leave them for just a few seconds. Remove and let them cool.
Toast the almond slices in a small frying pan over a low heat until they are crispy.
Finely chop the asparagus with olive oil in a mixer. Save the ends for decoration.
Add the grated cheeses and the toasted almond slices (except some for decoration) and process until you get a creamy consistency. (Add more olive oil if needed.)
Season to taste with salt.
Boil the water you used to cook the asparagus in and add more water and salt if needed.
Add the pasta when the water is bubbling, push it under water with a wooden spoon and cook until it is "al dente" according to the instructions on the package.
When the pasta is cooked, strain off the water in a colander. Pour the pasta into a frying pan with the asparagus sauce and the asparagus tips and mix well. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the pasta water.
Heat everything on medium heat for a few seconds. Add freshly ground black pepper.
Sprinkle over the almond slices. Serve immediately.