I had a few greens in my fridge for dinner and not much else so I made this quick pasta dish for our dinner tonight. The 400g packet of pasta says it feeds 4 but I'm thinking its more like 3 people... If you didn't have asparagus you could use green beans when they are in season or rocket in place of spinach. Just what ever really. Baby peas or broad beans would be nice too! The pureed broccoli makes a delicious kind of creamy sauce.
Broccoli, Hazelnut and Asparagus Fettuccine
1 head of broccoli roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
a handful of skinless roasted hazelnuts (around half a cup)
zest of a lemon, juice of half
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
pinch of chilli flakes
a handful of parsley
5 or so leaves of basil (optional)
2 T grated Parmesan plus extra for garnish
500g of asparagus, ends trimmed, sliced on the angle
100-200g baby spinach
400g pack of fresh pasta
Bring a large pot of water to the boil (about 3 litres) and add about 2 T of salt.
Add the broccoli and the garlic and boil for about 1-2 mins or until tender.
Scoop out the broccoli and garlic with a slotted spoon keeping the water on the boil and place in a blender or food processor. Add in the hazelnuts, zest and juice, olive oil, chilli flakes, herbs, 1 tsp of flaky salt and a few grinds of black pepper into the blender. Process until smooth. Check seasoning, you want it to have a bit if guts as it is going to coat all the pasta.
Place the fresh pasta in the reserved boiling water and cook for 1 minute and then add the asparagus. Cook until the pasta is just tender.
Drain the pasta and asparagus in a colander with a small bowl underneath to catch some of the liquid.
Pour the pasta and asparagus back into the pot and add the broccoli puree. Add in enough pasta water to make a nice saucy consistency - I added just over 1/2 a cup.
Fold in the baby spinach and check the seasoning, adding more lemon or salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve up into bowls and finish with some shaved Parmesan and a little olive oil.
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