TAGLIATELLE WITH ASPARAGUS, PANCETTA & PARMESAN

There are many misconceptions about the word Parmesan, but there is no doubt whatsoever about Parmesan cheese’s origin! Parmesan refers to the famous cheese made in and around the Italian province of Parma for the past eight centuries and more. Historically speaking, it is an earlier term for what we now call Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The concept of naming foods after their place of origin dates back to the Roman Empire. Even after the fall of Rome in 476 A.D., people on the Italian peninsula continued to follow that practice. It was a convenient way to describe the food, but also showed pride in its making. It was monks in the area around Parma who first started making a distinctive hard cheese during the Middle Ages. In 2008, European courts decreed that Parmigiano Reggiano is the only hard cheese that can legally be called Parmesan. In so doing, they acknowledged the historical fact that the word can be traced to Parma and that consumers associate the cheese with its origin in the Parma-Reggio region of Italy. These court rulings mean that a cheese cannot be called Parmesan unless it conforms to the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) standards for Parmigiano Reggiano.

Serves 4
30 minutes
366 kcal per seving


Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 12 thin slices pancetta, sliced into small strips
• 500 g fresh egg tagliatelle
• 40 g Parmesan, grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Snap the woody bottoms off the asparagus stalks and throw them away.
2. Cut off the top 4 cm of each stalk, put to one side and finely chop the remaining stalks.
3. Heat a wide frying pan and gently fry the chopped asparagus stalks in a little olive oil with the pancetta.
4. When the asparagus softens slightly turn the heat off and mash them roughly with the back of a fork.
5. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water, according to pack instructions.
6. Add the asparagus tips for the last 2 minutes of cooking time.
7. Drain the pasta, reserving 250 ml of the cooking water, and toss with the mashed asparagus and pancetta.
8. Stir in most of the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. If needed loosen the pasta with a little of the cooking water.
9. Serve with the last of the Parmesan sprinkled on top.