Penne Pasta with Asparagus and Taleggio Cheese

Ingredients

Serves 2

200g Dried pasta

1 tbsp Salt

70g Crusty bread

2 tbsp Olive oil

30g Butter

70g Hazelnuts

1 Garlic clove cracked open

150g Asparagus

150g Taleggio cheese

1 handful of Parsley chopped

Here’s how

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water for 9-10 minutes.

Meanwhile snap the asparagus in half and where it naturally breaks that’s where it tender and put to one side

Chop the bread up into small pieces and place on a non stick baking tray.

Pour over a drizzle of oil and bake in a pre heated oven 170c for 10 minutes or just until crisped up.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a large pan with the cracked garlic clove.

Chop the hazelnuts up with a knife into chunks and add to the pan with the butter and garlic.

Lift out a ladle of pasta water and add to the butter with a little black pepper.

This will make an emulsion style sauce.

Lay the asparagus into the sauce and pop the lid onto the pan to speed up the cooking process without evaporating the sauce too much.

When the pasta has cooked for 9 minutes, lift out of the water and add to the pan.

Stir together and top with chopped parsley and diced cheese.

Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and scatter over the breadcrumbs.