Asparagus Pesto and Frazzled Prosciutto

Looking in the fridge today, in a hungry mood, I found 3 asparagus spears, 2 slices of prosciutto and the last bit of a piece of Gran Padano. I very nearly scrambled some eggs with the asparagus and ham but inspiration struck, as if often the way. So this is what I made ...

Tagliatelle with Asparagus Pesto & Frazzled Prosciutto

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~  Snapped the tips from the asparagus, set them aside and cooked the rest of the stalks in salted water till completely tender.

~   Scooped the cooked asparagus out of the boiling water and replaced them with 3 coils of tagliatelle.

~   While the pasta was cooking I did 2 things (yes, you’ve guessed, I’m a woman!) … firstly I puréed the cooked asparagus with a knob of butter and a handful of grated Gran Padano, and, secondly, I cut the prosciutto into strips and frazzled it in tablespoon of olive oil together with the asparagus tips. For how to frazzle prosciutto and other ingredients see here.

~   I lifted the ham and asparagus out of the frying pan with a slotted spoon and added the residual oil to the asparagus purée.

~   Then, I expect you’ve guessed, I drained the pasta and tossed everything together.

I was very pleased with the result and am thinking of doing a similar thing soon with tenderstem broccoli. 

I love cooking with leftovers, they inspire me, which is why I wrote Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers!