bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends trimmed off, remaining asparagus cut in half
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Pecorino cheese
salt and pepper to taste
12 ozs bow tie pasta (farfalle) or other short pasta shape
1/4 cup reserved cooking water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, plus extra to pass at table
2 thin slices prosciutto, broken into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat an over to 400 degrees. In a baking dish, toss the asparagus with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp of the Pecorino cheese. Place in oven.
Roast the asparagus for 10 minutes, then remove from oven the gently stir up the asparagus so it all roasts fairly evenly. Place in oven for another 10 minutes to roast for a total of 20 minutes of roasting time. After the 20 minutes total, the asparagus should be tender and lightly browned on the outside. Thicker asparagus may need a few additional minutes of roasting.
After the asparagus has roasted for 10 minutes, you can start cooking the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is close to being done cooking, scoop out 1/4 cup of cooking water and reserve.
Drain the pasta when cooked to your liking. Toss immediately with the roasted asparagus, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, prosciutto and lemon juice.
Plate the pasta, and pass additional cheese at the table for topping. This roasted asparagus pasta is great with Pecorino wine! Other medium to full bodied Italian whites could work if you can’t find Pecorino.
Notes
To determine how much of the asparagus to use, break a couple of stalks of the asparagus. Discard the thicker woody portion opposite the tip end. Cut the rest of the asparagus stalks in similar proportion to the initial stalks that you do by hand.
We used whole wheat bow tie pasta. This is more nutritious but regular bow ties can definitely be used.