One of the great things about cooking with chorizo is the way it releases its spicy, red, fatty juices as you fry it. It’s a brilliant way to season any other ingredients you choose to mingle with it – in this case pasta shapes and delicate, earthy asparagus.
Serves 4
About 500g asparagus
150g cooking chorizo
300g pasta shapes, such as penne, fusilli or strozzapreti
1 tablespoon rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil
A good squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped, to finish (optional)
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and cut the spears into roughly 3cm pieces. Remove the skin from the chorizo and cut the sausage into thick matchsticks.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt it well and add the pasta. Cook according to the time suggested on the packet until al dente, adding the asparagus to the pan for the last 3–5 minutes. (Freshly cut asparagus will only take 3 minutes.)
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry gently for 5–10 minutes until it is beginning to turn crisp and the spicy juices are running nicely.
Drain the pasta and asparagus well and immediately toss with the hot chorizo and the spicy oil in the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Serve straight away, scattered with chopped parsley if you like.
SWAPS Any highly seasoned sausage will work well in place of chorizo, either cut into chunks or squeezed out of the skin and crumbled. Pancetta and bacon work too. When asparagus is not in season, try using green beans instead, or broad beans or peas. Shredded greens can also provide the green element.