Bavette pasta with asparagus and peas

The asparagus season is quite short. This lovely recipe for bavette pasta with asparagus and peas, is simple and a wonderful way to enjoy seasonal produce.

Choose the best asparagus you can. Make sure they are whole, with a hard, closed and compact end, and with no visible marks or damage. Here’s how to prepare your asparagus:

Clean the asparagus: hold each asparagus by its two ends and bend it until it breaks. Discard the rough ends.
How to cook asparagus: place them in the container for steaming and steam cook for no longer than ten minutes. You can also microwave them which is very efficient.
- Make sure the paper towel is damp, not soaking. Wet four layers of paper towels with a quarter-cup of water and squeeze the paper towels to remove any excess water.
- Roll the asparagus into a bundle to microwave. Laid flat in the microwave, the asparagus will cook unevenly. The rolled bundle will cook more evenly.
- Use tongs to remove the bundle from the microwave. Seriously, it’s going to be hot!
Once they’re ready, run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

You can also microwave those fresh peas:

Place the peas and water in a microwave safe bowl.
Cover with a microwave safe lid or clingfilm and cook for 2-4 minutes on full power (750w-900w).
Remove the lid/clingfilm carefully (as steam will have built up underneath).
Drain and serve the peas. You can add butter, salt and pepper and/or some finely chopped fresh mint to the peas if you want.

If you are using fresh asparagus and peas, you can prepare them ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you are ready.

Ingredients for bavette pasta with asparagus and peas

50g (2oz) (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 spring onions, chopped
400g (14oz) (3½ cups) shelled peas (or frozen)
400g (14oz) asparagus, trimmed and cut into short lengths
150ml (¼ pint) (⅔ cup) hot water
350g (12oz) bavette pasta (or linguine)
50g (2oz) (⅔ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
Lemon infused olive oil for serving

Melt half the butter with the oil in a shallow saucepan.
Add the spring onions and cook for 3–5 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the peas and asparagus, season with salt and pepper, stir in the hot water and simmer for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the bavette in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.
Drain, tip into the pan with the vegetables and mix.
Stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan and serve immediately with a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil.

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