Orecchiette with Truffle-Asparagus Pesto
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 to 6
Nutrition per Serving (1 of 6): Calories 576, Total Fat 30 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Carbohydrates 61 g, Fiber 4 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 17 g, Cholesterol 22 mg, Sodium 402 mg
Total Time: 30 minutes
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 bunch medium asparagus, trimmed
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh chervil
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1/3 cup grated truffle pecorino cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Zest and juice from 1 lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with salted ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and garlic, cooking until the asparagus is tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus and garlic to the ice water (keep the pot of cooking water). Once cooled, drain and pat dry. Reserve the asparagus tips, and chop the stems roughly.
- To make the pesto: Toast hazelnuts in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Cool the nuts, then pulse them in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add asparagus stems and garlic to the processor, pulsing until smoothly blended. Incorporate the basil and chervil. With the machine running, gradually pour in the olive oil and blend until creamy. Add truffle pecorino, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper, pulsing briefly to combine.
- Bring the reserved pot of water back to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain and return pasta to the pot. Stir in the pesto, butter, and reserved asparagus tips. Over low heat, toss everything together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and additional truffle pecorino on top.
Photograph by Con Poulos
Courtesy of Recipe Iseasy Magazine
