Asparagus & Wild Garlic Orecchiette Recipe

Ingredients

400g asparagus
250g cherry tomatoes
100g butter, room temperature
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
A large handful of wild garlic
400g orecchiette

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 15 mins

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Method

1. Set a large pot of salted water on to boil. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, then chop the spears into 2cm-thick lengths. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

2. Pop 100g butter into a bowl and finely grate in the lemon zest. Peel and grate in the garlic cloves. Squeeze in the juice from ¼ of the lemon. Finely chop the wild garlic and add to the bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then mix together and set aside.

3. When the water in the pot is boiling, add the orecchiette pasta and bring back to a rolling boil. Cook for 4-5 mins till the pasta is tender but still has a little bite. Drain the pasta and set aside.

4. While the pasta cooks, melt half of the wild garlic butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the asparagus and tomatoes. Fry for 3-4 mins till the tomatoes are just beginning to collapse.

5. Tip the drained pasta into the pan, spoon in the remaining wild garlic butter and toss everything together for 2 mins until the butter is melted and the pasta is warmed through. Taste and add a pinch more salt or pepper, if you think it needs it. Serve on warm plates, with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.

6. Seasonal Star
Wild garlic is a freshly foraged, fabulously fragrant seasonal treat you’ll definitely smell before you see it. The big green leaves don’t look like the usual garlic bulb, but they taste like it and they’re brilliant mixed with rich ingredients, like butter, to create fragrant dishes.