Penne With Asparagus, Pesto & White Beans
Saturday morning recipes with Simon Mayo & Nigel Barden
Every week on Simon Mayo's Saturday show, we're joined by food and wine expert, Nigel Bardon, who talks us through incredible recipes and the wines that go with them. As well as satisfying your taste buds, we also satisfy your ears with a classical track that compliments the food perfectly.
Simon Mayo's show is on from 10am until 1pm every Saturday and you can listen here. On Saturday 27th April we made Penne with Asparagus, Pesto & White Beans.
The full recipe is below:
Penne with Asparagus & Pesto & White Beans
by Alice Hart from The New Vegetarian (Square Peg / Penguin Random House)
Replace half the basil used in this recipe with mint leaves, if you like; this is a summery affair, intended to coincide with the latter part of asparagus season when the spears are plentiful & cheap. Use any almonds you have in the pesto: flaked, blanched, chopped or whole with skins all work well. Never drain the pasta too thoroughly, as the starch cooking water helps to form a sauce.
Serves 4
Prep time:
Cooking time:
Ingredients
300g (1 large bunch) asparagus
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
350g wholemeal dried penne, or other short pasta shape
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
25g almonds
2 small bunches of basil
Finely grated zest & juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g vegetarian pasta cheese, finely grated, plus more to serve
400g can of butter or cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
Method
Trim the very ends from each asparagus spear, only removing more if they are woody. Cut off the tips with about a thumb’s length of stalk. Set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, add the trimmed asparagus stalks (not the tips) with a good seasoning of salt & boil for 5 mins, or until tender. Scoop the stalks out & into a colander with a slotted spoon, leaving the water behind in the pan. Give the stalks a brief rinse under cool water, just to take their temperature down a little, & tip into the bowl of a food processor.
Return the pan of asparagus water to the heat, topping it up of needed. Bring to the boil & add the pasta, cooking according to the packet instructions, or until al dente.
Set a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking, toss the asparagus tips with a little regular olive oil to coat lightly & griddle for 4 mins, turning now & then, until coloured & soft. Set aside in the pan.
Put the garlic, almonds, almost all the basil (reserving a few leaves to serve), a squeeze of lemon juice & the extra virgin olive oil into the food processor with the asparagus stalks & blitz to a rough purée, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times. Stir in the lemon zest & cheese. Taste & season, stirring in more lemon juice, if you like.
Drain the pasta – not too well - & return to the hot pan with the beans & asparagus pesto. Warm through very gently, then divide between warmed bowls or plates with the griddled asparagus tips, the reserved basil leaves & more cheese
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