Pasta with Aromatic Asparagus, Young Beans and Smoked Salmon

• butter↗25 g
• green onion↗6

  chopped

• dry white wine6 tbsp

  or vermouth

• crème fraîche↗200 g
• nutmeg↗

  a pinch of freshly grated

• chopped fresh dill2 tbsp

  (optional)

• juice of ½ lemon↗
• young beans↗700 g

  in pods (yields about 175 g/6 oz peeled beans)

• young asparagus↗175 g
• spiral pasta or spaghetti↗350 g
• smoked salmon↗100 g

  cut into small pieces

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Melt 25 g butter over medium heat, add the sliced green onion and sauté for 1 minute until softened. Pour in 6 tbsp dry white wine, bring to a rapid boil and let reduce by about 2 tbsp. Add 200 g crème fraîche, season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. If desired, add 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill and the juice of half a lemon, stir and set the sauce aside.

2. 2

   In a large pot bring salted water to a boil, drop in the young beans still in their pods and blanch for 2–3 minutes. Transfer them to a colander, quickly cool under running cold water, drain again and remove the outer skin: make a slit at the tip of each bean and gently push out the soft inner part.

3. 3

   Trim the tough ends of the young asparagus, leaving only the tender parts. Cut the stalks into halves or thirds. Cook 350 g spiral pasta (or spaghetti) in salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the sliced asparagus and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente.

4. 4

   Drain the pasta, reserving 1–2 tbsp of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta together with the asparagus, blanched beans, smoked salmon and the prepared sauce to a deep skillet. If needed, thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water to reach the desired consistency. Gently sauté, stirring constantly, just until the salmon is warmed through, preserving its tenderness. Serve immediately.