Asparagus pasta with walnuts recipe from Marche, Central Italy

Prepare the ingredients

1. Wash the asparagus and break off the harder stalk ends. If you bend asparagus, they will break in the right place naturally. Cut the very end of the stalks off. Par-boil the spears in salted water for just a minute. Remove from the water and then par-boil the stalks for 3-4 minutes. Keep the water to cook the pasta in and cut the asparagus (spears and stalks) into small pieces.
2. Crush or chop the shelled walnuts into small pieces. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Wash and chop the parsley.

Cook and serve

1. Heat the butter in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the garlic cloves. Add a little chopped parsley. After a couple of minutes, add the asparagus (tips and stalks) and fry them on a low heat for another 5 minutes.
2. Add the chopped walnuts to the pan, remove the garlic, season with salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Then sauté over a low heat for the last 2 minutes. You can use a fork to crush the asparagus stems slightly to make the sauce a little creamy.
3. Cook the spaghetti al dente in the water used to par-boil the asparagus, save a little of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta with a little cooking water to the asparagus and walnuts. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of grated cheese, mix well over a low heat until the sauce becomes creamy.
4. Serve immediately with more chopped parsley and more grated cheese if required.