Tagliatelle with asparagus and Pecorino

I didn't want to look for a better background, napkin, pot, light or angle. All I wanted to do was to sit down and eat a bowl of this pasta...warm, now.

I preheated my red pot with hot water. I dropped all the pasta from the skillet into the pot and ran to my outdoor photo studio on the balcony.

A couple of minutes later, I came back yelling that lunch was ready. Then all got quiet.

I didn't even grow up eating asparagus. I was probably 25 when I ate it for the first time (and saw it too?), back in the USA. Julian is a big fan, Hania is getting there. I like it. But we all went crazy for the green ribbons perfectly intertwining with tagliatelle.

And a handful of sharp Pecorino together with enough butter to combine all the flavors...

Recipe by Gray Apron
time: 20 min preparation + 10 min cooking

 ingredients 
1 lb (500 g) green asparagus, hard ends broken off
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1/2 lb (250 g) tagliatelle
2 oz (50 g) Pecorino cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon (15 g) butter, diced
salt and pepper to taste

 instructions 
Using a cheese cutter, shave asparagus into thin ribbons. On a large skillet, heat oil on medium/high. At the same time, start cooking pasta. Save about 1/2 cup of cooking water. 

Sauté asparagus on the skillet for 3-4 minutes, adding salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) toward the end. Add about 1/2 cup of cooking water (from pasta) and sauté more for 2 - 3 minutes till tender but bright green.

Combine pasta with asparagus, add Pecorino and butter. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.

NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES

• the most time-consuming/challenging part of the recipe was shaving the asparagus; potato peeler didn't work;
• not something you would want to do when in a rush;
• so when I stopped rushing, the work got easier, starting from the bottom and up toward the flower, holding the vegetable in one hand and the cheese cutter in the other;
• Pecorino (sheep's milk hard, aged cheese) is similar to Parmesan...but then, it's really not; it's sharper and saltier than the sweet Parmesan; it's hard to find it here so I use it seldomly but I prefer it over Parmesan; 
• I thought asparagus needed a kick taste and Pecorino did the job!