recipe from: Gathering Dreams

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus

• ½ cup pistachio nuts - (see note 1)

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest - (from 1 lemon)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove - small, optional

• salt

• pepper

• 12 oz pasta of choice - farfalle, penne, spaghetti, rigatoni, linguine

Instructions:

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Chop the asparagus into small bits, making sure to remove and discard the fibrous ends if needed. Wash them, and blanch them in the boiling water for about 5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain the asparagus and rinse them under cold water to stop them from cooking. Set the asparagus tips aside as we will use them for decoration.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instruction. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

4. Add the pistachios (or nut of your choice) to your blender or food processor and blitz.

5. Then add the cooked asparagus, garlic, lemon juice, parsley leaves, olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

6. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix it with the asparagus pesto. Toss well until combined. Add some of the cooking water to the pasta to make the pasta silky and saucy. Plate the pasta, add the asparagus tips you kept on the side, sprinkle with lemon zest, and serve while hot.