Pappardelle with crème fraîche, parmesan and asparagus
Posted: 23 July '10 by Niall and Kelly
Pappardelle with creme fraiche, parmesan and asparagus
Kelly’s love of Italian food knows almost no bounds, and one of her favourite chefs is Theo Randall. I’d have to agree – his dishes always seem so flavoursome, often quite simple, and smack of authentic Italian cooking. Perfect for the home cook.
With the publication of his new book Pasta there’s now a great resource for some of his best recipes. This is one of our favourites which appears typically simple, but which delivers a satisfyingly tasty meal – Pappardelle with crème fraîche, parmesan and asparagus.
Made using egg yolks, crème fraîche and Parmesan, the sauce is particularly rich but the asparagus is a great counterbalance, cutting through the robust flavours and adding a fresh dimension – grassy and slightly bitter. The asparagus is also a fantastic visual ingredient – little shards of apple-green amidst the deep yellow of the pasta and the creamy-gold of the glossy sauce.
I’ve tinkered with the recipe a little, preferring the thick ribbons of pappardelle to tagliatelle and changing some quantities to match what was readily available at the supermarket. I’ve also used a little lemon zest and juice to give the final dish a little kick.
Serves 4 as a main course or 6 plus as a starter.
You can see the photos here:
Ingredients
- 300ml crème fraîche
- 2 egg yolks
- 150g parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
- 500g fresh pappardelle (you could use tagliatelle)
- 200g young asparagus spears, trimmed and finely sliced at an angle
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, zested and squeezed
Method
- Put the crème fraîche, egg yolks and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a large bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl.
- Whisk vigorously with a balloon whisk until the mixture is the consistency of yoghurt and then sprinkle in the grated parmesan, whisking continuously.
- The sauce is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – Check the seasoning and then leave to one side.
- Put the pappardelle and asparagus in a saucepan of boiling, slightly salted water and cook until both the pasta and asparagus still have a little stiffness to them. It should take between 3 and 5 minutes.
- Drain the pasta thoroughly and add the sauce – as much as you want, but remember that the dish really doesn’t need to be swamped in the sauce – tossing the pasta to mix the sauce through.
- Serve with some freshly ground black pepper, some lemon zest and more parmesan.
Enjoy!
Tags: italian food, pasta, theo randall, vegetarian
Categories: Recipes
