Tayberry and Asparagus Tripoline

It is now public knowledge that I absolutely love pasta! Regardless of how hungry I am, I always have room for pasta especially when it is a simple dish using deliciously fresh ingredients. My Tayberry and Asparagus Tripoline recipe, using our deliciously fruity handmade Tayberry Vinegar is exactly that. Simple to make, magical to eat and with tiny amounts of washing up required. I urge you to have a go at trying to make it.

Ingredients (for two)

• 6/8 fresh British Asparagus Spears
• 2 tbsp Tayberry Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Monterosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other Extra Virgin Olive Oil from our range
• 200g Tripoline Pasta (or other ribbon cut pasta such as Tagliatelle)
• 80g Smoked Streaky Bacon
• 1/2 Onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Handful of fresh watercress
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Salt & pepper

Preparation

Chop onion, garlic, bacon, asparagus and watercress before you start. The asparagus spears should only have their hard ends removed, the other elements in chunks. Soften the onion, garlic and bacon in a heavy based frying pan with a splash of our Monterosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil. At the same time, in a separate pan, cook your pasta.

Once contents of frying pan has browned, add a good splash of Tayberry Vinegar to the mix and allow onion to caramelise slightly. Cook your asparagus for just 2/3 minutes over boiling water, ideally use your pasta water and until both pasta and asparagus are "al dente," firm but not hard.

Add the cooked pasta to your frying pan, mix well with the onion, garlic and bacon so all the lovely juices coat the pasta. Then add your fresh watercress. Stir quickly on a low heat and finally season with salt and pepper. (NB. Do not be tempted to cook too long after adding the watercress or you will ruin the desired raw nature of the watercress and it will turn stringy!).

To Serve

Serve on large warm plates, laying your cooked asparagus spears on the top of the dish. Finally drizzle a little more Tayberry Vinegar and Olive Oil over the dish before grating parmesan cheese, salt and pepper on as required.

An accompanying side salad of green leaves, cucumber and tomatoes, dressed with more Tayberry Vinegar and Monterosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a good dry white table wine to drink will make this recipe a most excellent treat for lunch or supper.