Linguine with asparagus and prosecco

25 MINUTES | SERVES 4 | EASY | V

Cooking with prosecco always seems rather extravagant but less so if you take it as an excuse to enjoy the rest of the bottle with your meal. You could, of course, make this using white wine or a splash of vermouth but there is something about the delicacy of prosecco that works particularly well here. You can almost taste the bubbles in the sauce. If you can use fresh egg pasta, better still.

olive oil 1 tbsp

onion 1 small, finely chopped

asparagus 400g, trimmed and cut into 3-5cm lengths prosecco 100ml flat-leaf parsley a handful, roughly chopped linguine 400g

salted butter 30g

parmesan (or veggie alternative) 30g, finely grated

• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 5-10 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the asparagus, prosecco and some seasoning, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated and the asparagus is tender. Stir in the parsley.

• Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a large pan of salted boiling water, following pack instructions, until al dente. Just before you drain the pasta, scoop 1/2 a cup of the cooking water out of the pan and set to one side. Drain the pasta, toss it back into the pan and mix in the reserved cooking water, little by little, and the butter. Stir well, then add the asparagus mixture. Give everything one last good stir and top with the grated cheese.