Ingredients
- Sea salt
- 160g dried linguine
- 8 asparagus spears
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 50g frozen peas
- Sea salt
- 40g butter
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 1 tbsp diced chives
- Chervil leaves or dill fronds, to garnish
- Zest of half a lemon
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil and add the linguine. Cook for about eight minutes until just cooked, then strain, keeping some of the pasta water to use in the sauce.
- When the linguine goes in the pot, prep the asparagus. Cut the bottom third off the asparagus spears, as this is often woody and unpleasant to eat, then lightly peel the exterior with a peeler and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Then place a medium-sized saucepan on the heat and add freshly boiled water from the kettle. Add the caster sugar and sea salt and bring the water to a simmer. Place the asparagus and peas in the seasoned water and blanch for three minutes, then remove, rinse with cold water and strain.
- Place a non-stick frying pan on the heat. Add the butter, one ladle of the pasta water, the lemon juice, and the cornflour. Allow the mix to simmer and thicken slightly in the pan, then add the asparagus and the peas. Heat the asparagus and peas in the sauce for two minutes, while stirring, then add the strained linguine. Toss the linguine through the sauce for one minute, then finish with chopped herbs and remove from the heat.
- To serve, use tongs to add the linguine and asparagus to serving plates. Spoon on any remaining sauce from the pan, then garnish with chervil and finish with some lemon zest.
