Asparagus Pappardelle with Salmon in Red Pesto Sauce

I love pasta and I love asparagus. So it was only a matter of time before I would combine them together so that I could reach a higher level of foodie heaven. But you cannot go to heaven, if you sin too much with your calories! This is why I decided to use a clever trick (and a potato peeler) to shave asparagus into ribbons that resemble pappardelle (or at least its thinner cousin - tagliatelle).

Thanks to that trick, I used much less pasta than I would have normally cooked, and the portions still looked big, but were less calorific and healthier. Oh, and have I mentioned yet that it was delicious?

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

500g green asparagus,

1 tbsp olive oil,

500g skinless and boneless salmon fillet,

250g pappardelle,

2 tbsp red pesto,

6 tbsp double cream,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Snip the hard ends of washed asparagus, cut 4-5 cm of the tops and shave the other parts of asparagus with a potato peeler into ribbons.
2. In a frying pan heat up the olive oil, add the asparagus tops and fry them for 2 min, put aside.
3. In the same frying pan fry over a medium heat the seasoned salmon fillet for 5 minutes on each side (or a bit longer, if the fillet is thick).
4. Put the fish on a plate, flake it.
5. Cook the pappardelle in salted water as per packet instruction, 1 minute before the end of cooking add the asparagus’ ribbons; keep half a cup of the cooking water.
6. On a low heat warm up the pesto and cream, add the flaked salmon and the asparagus tops, heat up and gently stir with pappardelle and asparagus ribbons. If it is too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.