The best thing about summer is the abundance of great-quality, fresh produce, and asparagus and scallops are two of our favourite things to use in the short time they are around. This dish is easy and quick to prepare, which is just want you want during summer, and it tastes fresh and light. Match it perfectly with a crisp glass of Italian Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio wine.
Pappardelle pasta with fresh asparagus and scallops
Ingredients
Pasta
- 500g grade 00 flour
- 225ml beaten eggs
- 25ml extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp salt
Butter sauce
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- Dash of cream
- 150g butter, cubed
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 12 fresh scallops
- Flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Method
- First make the pasta. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer until they bind together (approximately 10 minutes).
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest for at least half an hour before rolling into sheets through a pasta machine.
- Cut pappardelle noodles 15mm wide and 200mm long.
- Boil 3 litres of salted water and cook the pasta until al dente (approximately 3 minutes).
- Now make the butter sauce. Reduce the lemon juice over a low heat, add a dash of cream (this prevents the butter from splitting), then add the butter and whisk it all together until silky-smooth.
- Blanch the asparagus spears until they are cooked but still retain a bit of crunch.
- Cut off the asparagus tips and leave to one side, then dice the rest of the stems.
- Season and sear the scallops in a hot pan for 1 minute on each side.
- To finish, add the pappardelle and chopped asparagus to the butter sauce and toss. Top with the asparagus tips and scallops, and garnish with parsley.
