I stepped into my kitchen this evening, armed with a recipe and a misplaced sense of confidence. It was as if I’d been transported to a high-stakes cooking show, the spotlight strained on me, and a celebrity chef poised to critique my every move.
The grand plan? To whip up a dish of Asparagus and Crispy Cooked Ham with Tagliatelle. A simple enough task, one might think. But as any home cook knows, the kitchen can be a battlefield, and I was about to learn this lesson firsthand.
The first challenge was the asparagus. I’d underestimated the strength of these green spears. One moment I was delicately trimming them, the next, a particularly feisty one had launched itself across the kitchen, narrowly missing my prized Gordon Ramsay cookbook. I’m pretty sure I heard it mutter something about “respect the veg".
In the end, the dish was, well, edible. It may not have been Michelin-star quality, but it was certainly an experience. I’ve learned my lesson: even the simplest recipes can turn into a kitchen nightmare but delicious nonetheless.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
200g fresh asparagus
100g diced cooked ham
200g dried tagliatelle
20g fresh Parmesan, grated
sea salt and black pepper
Instructions:
1. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus stalks and discard them.
2. Cut 4cm off the top of each stalk, place to one side and finely chop the
remaining stalks. Heat a wide frying pan and gently fry the chopped
asparagus stalks in a little olive oil with the cooked ham. When the
asparagus softens slightly and then turn the heat off and mash the asparagus roughly with a fork. Add the cooked ham.
3. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water, according to
packet instructions. Add the asparagus tips for the last 2 minutes of
cooking time.
4. Drain the pasta and toss with the mashed asparagus and cooked ham.
5. Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve with
the remaining Parmesan sprinkled on top.