Pasta with asparagus, pistachios and lemon pesto

• 10 minutes to prepare • 15 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

10 MINUTES

It is the first day after Easter festivities and consequent - obvious - food abuse.
We need to indulge in a vegan, greenish recipe, don't you think?

This one is GOOD, my dear. Incredibly easy because it's basically raw, and full of taste. I love the flavor of asparagus, and find it widely underused, considering its extremely short season.

Today you just need a bunch of asparagus, pistachios, olive oil, pasta, and lemon. That’s it!
Moreover, this is a really fast meal – the longest part is boiling the pasta!


Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

400 g Penne pasta
1 lemon zest
300 g asparagus
1 tablespoon lemon juice
50 g pistachios
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
1 sprig parsley
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Rinse the asparagus under cool water to remove any grit. Snap off the bottom inch using your fingers; the stems will naturally break where the tough woody part ends and the tender stem begins
2. Peel asparagus' tough outer skin
3. Pour 1 l of water in a large pot and bring to boil. As soon as the water boils, dip asparagus in the pot, and go on with the cooking for about 5 minutes
4. Drain asparagus' and place them on a cutting board. Separate the stems from the tips
5. Boil water in a pot, add salt and once started to bubble, pour Penne pasta. Make them cook for about 10 minutes (pleas refer to the cooking time specified on the package)
6. Place asparagus' stems in a blender. Add 6 cl of EVO oil, the Parmesan cheese, pistachios, the lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt. Blend to obtain a smooth pesto
7. Drain pasta al dente and stir it for a few moments with asparagus pesto. Serve hot with chopped parsley on top

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

Pistachio. They call it the nail destroyer.