Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 500g orecchiette or similar short pasta
- 100g asparagus
- 100g edamame beans, shelled
- 100g fresh peas, shelled
Pesto:
- 2 cups basil leaves, well packed
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds, cashew nuts or pine nuts
- ½ cup / 40g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup / 125ml olive oil
- 500g portabellini mushrooms, sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh dill, for serving
- Pink peppercorns, for serving
Method:
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Keep it nice and al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
- Strain out the pasta and allow to cool.
- Using the pasta water, blanch the vegetables.
- Refresh them in ice cold water and drain.
- Keep them bright green with a good bite.
- Slice the asparagus so it mixes well with the peas and edamame beans.
- In a food processor, add all the pesto ingredients except the olive oil.
- Season well with salt and pepper.
- Blitz until combined.
- Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the food processor until everything is a good consistency.
- Scrape pesto into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta and toss to coat well.
- Add the blanched vegetables and mix.
- If necessary, add a splash of pasta cooking liquid to keep things nice and loose and well coated.
- Just before serving, cook the mushrooms.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Add the sliced portabellinis and cook until golden brown.
- Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the mushrooms to the pasta salad.
- Toss to mix well.
- Plate into a large bowl or onto a serving platter.
- Scatter with fresh dill sprigs and crushed pink peppercorns. Serve and enjoy!
