Linguine with Asparagus and Prosecco (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully simple recipe from Skye McAlpine’s cookbook ‘A Table in Venice’. As she herself says, cooking with Prosecco always seems rather extravagant, but the delicacy of Prosecco definitely lends something extra special to the sauce. I also use Prosecco when I cook ‘Spaghetti Vongole’ (recipe here), as it gives the sauce a lightness (from the bubbles) and a subtle sweetness. You could, of course, use white wine instead of Prosecco, but do try it with Prosecco at some point. The mini bottles of Prosecco are perfect for this recipe, or of course you could get a full bottle and enjoy the remainder of the bottle with your meal!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

400g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3 cm lengths

100ml Prosecco

Handful of parsley, chopped

400g linguine (gluten free if required)

30g butter

30g parmesan cheese, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring over a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
2. Add the asparagus and Prosecco, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the Prosecco has evaporated and the asparagus is tender (if it is not quite cooked by the time that the liquid has evaporated add a splash of water and cook for a little longer). Finally stir in the parsley.
4. Meanwhile cook the linguine according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, scoop out about half a cup of cooking water and set to one side.
5. Drain the pasta, toss it back into the pan and add a good splash of the reserved cooking water to ‘loosen’ it. Little by little stir in the butter. Finally add the asparagus mixture, give everything a good stir and serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Summer holidays!..

I’m off to Italy soon, and so pasta has been on my mind! This month I’m sharing two pasta recipes. Both are super simple, so you won’t have to slave over the stove for too long. Let’s hope we can also enjoy them al fresco…

Menu one is Salmoriglio & Seabass Linguine. I hadn’t heard of Salmoriglio until recently; simply put, it’s a Sicilian sauce made from dried oregano, olive oil, garlic and lemon. In this recipe from the cookbook ‘The Farm Table’, Julius Roberts combines it with Sea Bass to create a delicious, super-quick dish. Menu Two is Casarecce with Lemon, Olives & Parsley. Athena Calderone created this recipe for her cookbook, ‘Cook Beautiful’, it’s her take on a pesto sauce. It’s delicious, more robust than a classic pesto and all the better for it!

Enjoy your summer… I’ll be back in September with more recipe inspiration!..

Menu One

Salmoriglio & Seabass Linguine (Serves 3)

Salmoriglio is a Sicilian sauce which is dried oregano, olive oil, garlic and lemon. In this recipe from the cookbook ‘The Farm Table’, Julius Roberts combines it with Sea Bass to create a delicious, super-quick dish. It’s particularly good on a summers evening. The only downside of this recipe is that it only serves three people so you might want to double it!..

300g linguine (gluten-free if required)

300g fresh seabass fillets, skinless

A bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Salmoriglio:

2 cloves garlic

120ml olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon (about 60ml)

A generous pinch of dried oregano

A pinch of chilli flakes

1. Put all the ingredients for the Salmoriglio in a food processor and whiz until smooth.
2. Meanwhile cook the linguine according to the packet instructions until al dente.
3. Whilst the pasta is cooking cut the sea bass fillets into small pieces. Place the fish into a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.
4. Just before the pasta is ready, place a shallow pan over a medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and add the fish. Toss it in the oil and let it sizzle. When the fish has begun to turn white, add the drained pasta and a little splash of the pasta water and the chopped parsley. Finally, add a generous amount of salmoriglio (not all of it), mix well, taste, adding more sauce if needed and seasoning.
5. Eat immediately, with extra sauce at the table for anyone who wants a splash more.

Menu Two

Casarecce with Lemon, Olives & Parsley (Serves 4)

Athena Calderone created this recipe for her cookbook, ‘Cook Beautiful’, it’s her take on a pesto sauce. It’s delicious, more robust than a classic pesto and all the better for it. Whilst big on flavour it requires very little time at the stove!..

55g hazelnuts, blanched

1 large bunch of parsley, chopped (about 65g)

280g Nocellara green olives, stoned and roughly chopped

2 large lemons, grated zest and juice

120ml extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons and more to drizzle

455g Casarecce pasta, or another short pasta shape such as gemelli or fusilli (gluten-free if needed)

3 large cloves of garlic, crushed

1-2 anchovy fillets, depending on your taste, finely chopped

100g grated ricotta salata, plus shavings to serve

¼ teaspoon finely chopped habanero chilli or green chilli, finely chopped

Aleppo pepper for serving

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Firstly, spread the hazelnuts on a lined baking tray, place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 10 minutes, until lightly lightly golden.
2. Roughly chop the toasted hazelnuts and place in a bowl, toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the parsley, olives, lemon juice,, zest and 120ml olive oil. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain, reserving 120ml of the pasta water.
5. Mix the garlic and anchovy together so that they form a paste. In a large frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic-anchovy paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.
6. Pour the drained pasta into the frying pan. Add the grated cheese and reserved pasta water and toss until the cheese is evenly distributed. Stir in the parsley and olive mixture and toss until the pasta is evenly coated.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve topped with the toasted hazelnuts, chopped chilli and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.