Morels are something that you don’t find in my country but lucky me having good friends who would bring over some when visiting the island. Morels, a highly prized mushroom, have a honeycomb appearance and you get to find them during a very short season of spring. They have a unique flavor which is both nutty and meaty and there is no substitute for butter to bring out its subtle but treasured character. The match with asparagus is sort of unbeatable!
Such a magical and exquisite springtime pasta dish to be enjoyed with loved ones.
Morels & Asparagus Spaghetti
Have a look below at the full recipe. Don’t forget, you can always print it.
Alternatively, you can surf in my Facebook & Instagram pages to explore more mouthwatering recipes.
I hope you enjoy it!
Here you can find more of my Pasta recipes.
Morels & Asparagus Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 500 gr Spaghetti pasta
- 500 gr Morel Mushrooms , if large ones then cut lengthwise and sliced 2-3 times
- 500 gr gAsparagus , green ones, hard stem cut and discarded
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic , smashed
- 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme , homegrown, leaves picked and chopped
- 200 ml Chicken Broth , Bouillon
- 5 litres Water
- 70 gr Parmigiano Reggiano , grated
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot bring water to a boil on high heat adding a generous amount of salt. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes just to soften a bit. As you want them to remain crisp, used a slotted spoon and remove the asparagus into a bowl filled with water and ice cubes. Leave for few minutes and then remove to a strained to drain. Cut lengthwise and then into 4 cm length pieces and keep aside.
- In the same pot that the asparagus were cooked bring water back to a boil on high heat. Add the pasta, stirring occasionally so as not to stick and cook according to suggested time on the box of the pasta less 2 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of cooking water.
- In the meantime, in a large and deep sauté pan over low-medium heat add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the smashed garlic, let melt and add the morel mushrooms. Sauté for about 6 minutes until a bit soft. Bring to the pan the asparagus and sauté for 1 more minute. Increase the heat to high and pour the broth to deglaze. Season with the salt and pepper and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the thyme to create a creamy sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low and give it a stir. In the meantime, strain the pasta and add to the pan with the morel mushrooms and the asparagus. Toss for the pasta to absorb as much as possible of the sauce for about 1 minute. If too thick add some of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve in a deep dish and sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
