7 Easy Sauces - #4 Asparagus pesto

A tasty and delicate pesto with a seasonal Spring touch to pair with linguine, spaghetti or fettuccine pasta. A treat that will be ready within fifteen minutes!

Ingredients (4 pax) :

• 1 bunch of thin green asparagus

• 1 clove of garlic, degermed and chopped

• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (we recommend a delicate fruity oil such as Extremum from Liguria)

• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese, and 10 g for seasoning

• Juice of half a lemon

• A few leaves of fresh oregano or two pinches of dried oregano

• 400 g of linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti

• Salt

• A handful of whole pine nuts (for garnish)

Preparation

1. Bring 2 large pots of salted water to a boil: one for the pasta and a smaller one for the asparagus.

2. Cut off the hard ends of the asparagus, then plunge the asparagus into boiling water for 2-3 minutes until the asparagus start to soften.

3. Drain under cold water to stop cooking and set aside 8 asparagus tips for garnish.

4. Cut the rest of the asparagus in small rings to make sure the fibres are kept small, then blend them with the oregano leaves, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil in a small food processor. Add lemon juice and a little salt. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

5. Cook the pasta and set aside about 10 cl of cooking water. Mix the pasta, pesto and cooking water in the pan on a low heat.

6. Garnish with the asparagus tips and, if available, a few pine nuts lightly browned in a pan. Season with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.