Penne con Asparagi, Zuchini, Carcofi & Salami

This recipe came about mainly because I grow my own vegetables, I had picked a bunch of Asparagus and was looking for a new way to eat it.

Ingredients

  • 12 spears of Asparagus, cooked until tender then chopped into three pieces. (It is essential the asparagus is fresh not tinned).
  • 20 slices of Salami di Napoli, each slice then further cut into thin strips.
  • 8 Artichoke hearts cooked and cut into quarters. (You can used tinned ones but fresh are better).
  • 8 or 10 small courgettes, about the size of a mans finger, cut into bite sized pieces.
  • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • Freshly grated Black pepper
  • Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Chopped flat leafed parsley
  • Penne or similar shaped pasta.

All the amounts are approximate, I tend not to weigh anything but just use what seems right.

Method:

Firstly prepare all the ingredients as above.

Start the pasta off and when it has about 5 minutes left to cook, in a frying pan fry the salami and the courgettes without any oil to bring out the natural fat, once it starts add the olive oil and cook for about 1 minute don’t worry if bits of it go crispy. Add the artichokes and cook for about 1 minute, then add the asparagus and cook for a further 1 minute. Season with lots of black pepper.

Drain the pasta once it is cooked al dente and put it into a large bowl, mix the cooked mixture in with the pasta, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a handful of chopped parsley. Serve this with hot ciabbata bread and a side salad of thinly sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with thinly sliced celery and dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.