Pea and asparagus light pasta

I spent many scorching summers with a wide straw summer hat helping my mother shelling peas and beans. We would pick them in the field collect them in buckets and then back home we would patiently shell them one by one. The sweetness, freshness and tenderness of those peas was so good that I would often eat them raw on the go.

These days my source of fresh peas has to be the farmers market or the supermarket! Not quite as good as homegrown but if you buy them in their shell they are rather tasty and fresh. A little extra work to do for your lunch but all worth it.

So my recipe today is a fresh and light pasta with peas, asparagus and carrots. A light and straightforward dish for any day of the week.

• Prep Time : 25 minutes
• Cook Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients

• pasta – 400 g – 14 oz -3 cups
• fresh peas shelled – 150 g – just over 1 cup
• asparagus – 1 bunch
• carrots – 2
• red onion – 1
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Wash and chop the carrots into small cubes then steam or boil them for 5 minutes. Add the peas and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes then drain.

Chop the onion finely and stir fry until translucent with 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the vegetables, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes whilst stirring all the time. Steam the asparagus in a separate pan for 4 to 5 minutes depending on how thick they are.

Cook your pasta al dente in salty boiling water according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta then add it to the pan with the vegetables and the asparagus add 1 tbsp of olive oil and stir over a high heat for a minutes or so. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

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