Spring Pasta with Asparagus

Issue #29

It feels rather cliché to rhapsodize about the arrival of spring in Rome and the green vegetables the season brings. Plenty of people have done that before me and will continue to do so. Plus, I would be lying if I told you that I only ever cook with seasonal fruits and vegetables. I’m not completely immune to the romanticized vision of Italy in which everyone shops for fresh, locally grown produce at the market, where the vendors know their customers by name, but that’s not the reality of my life here. 

There was a time when I first lived in Rome in 2009, in a different neighborhood, when I used to go to a market like that, but that kind of market doesn’t exist in the neighborhood where I live now. I do have my local bakery and my local fishmonger who know me by sight (but not by name), but to be honest I do most of my shopping at big supermarkets.

Just like in the U.S., the supermarkets here sell tomatoes, eggplant, and plenty of other vegetables year-round and I buy the out-of-season tomatoes even if I know they won’t be at their best until summer. I do, however, try to buy produce exclusively from Italy. If there are strawberries from Spain and from Italy, I will buy the Italian ones even if they’re more expensive. 

Though I’m not dogmatic about it, I try to stay in tune with the seasons. Right now in Rome, artichoke season is ending, but it’s time for peas, fava beans, and asparagus. I haven’t quite figured out what to do with fava beans aside from serving them raw with pecorino (a Roman tradition), but I recently made some nice, simple pasta with asparagus, so I thought I would share the recipe here.

Tagliatelle with Asparagus 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 200-250 grams (about 7-9 ounces) fresh tagliatelle or other pasta of your choice

• 250 grams (about 9 ounces) fresh asparagus

• Pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano to taste

• Pancetta or guanciale (optional)

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil, then add about a tablespoon of salt. In the meantime, trim the tough ends off the asparagus and cut them into pieces about an inch long. Boil them for about ten minutes so they soften up, then transfer them to a pan with some olive oil.

Put about half of the asparagus into a food processor or blender and purée it with a bit of olive oil or water from the pot until you get a nice, smooth purée. I like to leave some of the asparagus in pieces so I have two different textures, but if you want you can purée all of it. If you’re using pancetta or guanciale, cut it into small pieces and sauté it separately over medium heat. Set it aside until the end. 

Add the asparagus puree to the pan and let it simmer over low heat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Toss the pasta into the pot and set a timer. If you’re using fresh pasta, it will only need to boil for a couple of minutes before you transfer it to the pan with the sauce and let it finish with some extra cooking water. If you’re using dry pasta, then follow the trick I outlined in issue #16 and transfer it to the pan three minutes before the cooking time noted on the package and let it finish cooking with the sauce in the pan, adding water as necessary so it doesn’t dry out.

At this point, you should add the grated pecorino or parmigiano reggiano and toss the pasta. Sprinkle the pancetta or guanciale (if using) on top of the pasta, along with some more cheese, just before serving.

This recipe is quite adaptable, so you can make it using other vegetables, depending on your preference or what’s in season. I had a version of this pasta recently with artichoke purée instead of asparagus at a restaurant in Ostia Antica and it was divine. You could also use zucchini or peas.

Pecorino romano gives it more of a Roman flavor, but you could use parmigiano reggiano instead. Just consider which cheese you’re using when you add salt to the sauce, because pecorino is very salty, so you should add less salt than if you’re using parmigiano. 

A Note About Notes

In case you haven’t seen yet, Substack recently introduced Notes, a place for writers and readers to share short missives, photos, and links. It functions a lot like Twitter, but is meant to be a more uplifting place to share things free of trolls and bots and whatnot. I’ve started using it to share thoughts that may or may not make it into the newsletter as well as links to things I’m reading that may not fit into the ‘Further Reading’ section here. Join me over there and let’s get the conversation going!

Head to substack.com/notes or find the “Notes” tab in the Substack app. As a subscriber to the New Roman Times, you’ll automatically see my notes. Feel free to like, reply, or share them around!

Further Reading

• Another great Substack I recently discovered thanks to Notes is

  Letters from Tuscany
  by
  Giulia Scarpaleggia
  . Giulia is a born-and-bred Tuscan who has been writing a food blog since 2009. I just dabble in food writing and recipe sharing here, but if you want some serious cooking inspiration, head over to her Substack and check out the archives or order her new cookbook, Cucina Povera. 

• I linked to it above, but I’ll put it here too: in issue #16 I shared my tips for making perfect pasta every time along with a recipe for spaghetti al pomodoro. 

• One of the big projects I’ve been working on lately is Food & Wine’s inaugural Global Tastemakers Awards, i.e. the magazine’s first-ever readers choice awards, which are rolling out this week. I wrote up the results of eight categories, including the 10 Best International Cities for Fine Dining. (Yes, Rome made the cut.) Check back tomorrow to see the list of the best restaurants in the world.