Buon appetito

4 min

NZ Herald

Ingredients

50 g	Butter
400 g	Asparagus (Main)
200 g	Frozen peas, defrosted
2	Leeks, washed and cut into .5cm slices
30 g	Dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
200 ml	Double cream
3 Tbsp	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
2 pinches	Smoked paprika
500 g	Rigatoni (Main)
60 g	Pecorino cheese, freshly grated
1 to taste	Salt

Use a potato peeler to scrape the asparagus stalks, discarding the woody ends. Chop the stalks into 2cm long pieces. Drop into a medium saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and immediately refresh under cold running water to prevent them from discolouring. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the peas, mushrooms, leeks and asparagus and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the cream and continue to cook for a further minute, stirring continuously.
Mix in the parsley and paprika, season with salt and set aside.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and tip back into the same pan.
Pour in the asparagus sauce and stir everything together for 30 seconds to allow the flavours to combine.
Divide between four serving plates, sprinkle over the pecorino cheese and serve immediately.