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Spaghetti with Asparagus and Lemon Pesto

I have long thought that asparagus and lemon go gloriously well together. I like the way asparagus can hold its own among stronger flavours, its distinctive clean yet savoury taste allowing it to stand alone while still blending in with the crowd. This spaghetti dish is really just an extension of my love for homemade pesto. I’ve added a little lemon zest to the pesto to bring out the flavours and to offset the creamy taste and texture of the spaghetti.

Serves 4

Contains nuts

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400g/14oz gluten-free spaghetti

Sea salt

For the pesto

100g/3½oz pine nuts

200g/7oz asparagus spears

1 small clove of garlic

Grated zest of ½ lemon

5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry the pine nuts for the pesto over a medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes or until golden, shaking the pan regularly to ensure that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

First snap off the woody ends of the asparagus by gently bending each spear between your fingers. The asparagus will start to give in one particular spot close to the base, allowing you to snap it easily at that point. Discard the woody ends and steam or boil the asparagus tips for about 4 minutes or until tender to the point of a knife. Refresh in cold, running water (to prevent further cooking) and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente following the instructions on the packet – usually 10–12 minutes, depending on the brand of pasta.

While the spaghetti is cooking, make the pesto. Crush the garlic and then place the toasted pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the asparagus, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and continue to pulse until you have a slightly rough paste. Season again to taste and set aside.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and then return it to the pan. Tip in the fresh pesto and stir it into the hot spaghetti until it is fully coated. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.