Rigatoni with guanciale, pecorino and asparagus 😍 

Rigatoni with guanciale and asparagus are a quick and particular dish. The creaminess of the asparagus, combined with the unique and exceptional flavor of the guanciale make this dish very tasty. Rigatoni with asparagus and guanciale are among the simple first courses perfect for spring, ideal if you don't know what to cook for dinner but don't want to give up on taste. What would we do without our dear, beloved and versatile pasta dishes? We would end up on the verge of despair because it's really hard to come up with different ideas for dinner without giving up on taste. For this reason, Rigatoni with asparagus and guanciale, like any recipe with asparagus, must be jealously guarded.

You don't need to be an expert cook to prepare this recipe. In half an hour you will have one of the tastiest first courses ever on the table. In fact, it will be enough to cook the asparagus, blend the final part of the stem to obtain a delicate cream, ideal for seasoning pasta, and complete everything with crispy guanciale.

Ingredients for 4 people

320 g of Rigatoni

700 g of asparagus

100 g of Guanciale

1 shallot

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Procedure

To prepare the rigatoni with asparagus and guanciale, first remove the final part of the asparagus, which is hard and woody. With the help of a potato peeler, remove the outermost layer of the stems and then cut them into slices. Keep the tips whole. On the side, finely chop the shallot and brown it in a pan with the oil until it is tender and transparent. Then add the sliced asparagus stalks, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, until tender. If necessary, add a few tablespoons of water. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water for the time indicated on the package. Transfer the asparagus slices into the glass of the immersion blender and blend until creamy, adding about 200 g of the pasta cooking water. Separately, in a pan, brown the guanciale cut into small pieces without adding any other fat. Then add the asparagus tips (if they are too big, cut them in half lengthwise) and cook for 5 minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add salt to the pan with the guanciale and asparagus and add the previously prepared cream. Brown over high heat for a couple of minutes, adding a little cooking water if necessary. Serve the pasta with asparagus and guanciale, finishing to taste with freshly ground pepper and a little grated pecorino cheese.