Tis the season for fresh asparagus, I have been eating a lot of it! I found a recipe online combining lemon zest, pancetta and asparagus and thought it was too good to be true. I tweaked it a bit and came up with this lovely creation which is a gorgeous spring meal. I worked it up as a full meal but you can also make the dish without fettuccine if you want to serve it as a side dish.
Spring Pancetta Asparagus Delight
In a large skillet, saute 1/2 cup of pancetta sliced or chopped until browned.
Meanwhile boil water for pasta.
Add to skillet 1 Tbl of butter, 1 chopped leek, one large bundle of asparagus with ends trimmed and cut/broken into 1-2 inch pieces.
Add 1/2 a box of fettuccine and a tablespoon of salt to boiling water.
Cook asparagus for about 4 minutes. Add 2 chopped cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1 tsp of lemon zest, 1 tsp of orange zest to skillet. Bring to a simmer.
With tongs, remove el dente fettuccine from boiling water to the skillet.
*This is a new trick I was inspired to try from the latest Italian issue of Bon Appetit. When you add pasta straight to sauce it soaks up the flavor of sauce better, mixes up well and the pasta water adds a little something something to your sauce. After trying it, so true, this fettuccine was infused with a wine/garlic/citrus flavor that was unbelievable.
Let your mixture simmer for a few minutes and serve it up topped with a grating of Parmesan cheese.
This recipe is enough for a meal for two or a dinner and lunch for one. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy this on a sunny patio.. Happy Spring!
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