RECIPE: Zingy Pasta with Asparagus

This is a recipe that fits perfectly into the evening diet of our riders at the Giro d’Italia. A pasta-based first course – because carbohydrates play a predominant role in the nutritional plan of a Grand Tour and pasta is typical for Italy – balanced with seasonal vegetables and a light, low-fat protein part.

It is an easily replicable first course, whose secret for best success lies in the balance of ingredients for the cream. The watchword is always ‘don’t overdo it’ with the seasoning, to maintain the right balance.
In our recipes, nutritional intake is the guide, but we always try to keep the taste strong, so that riders can actually enjoy a healthy and delicious dish at the end of a stage.

Ingredients for 2 persons:

200g pasta (I recommend fusilli 😉)
150g asparagus
juice of half a lemon + very finely grated peel
100g cottage cheese
10 leaves of fresh basil
10g pistachio nuts
50g vegetable milk (or dairy milk of your choice)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper

Steps:

Roughly cut the asparagus and then, either sauté it in a pan with a little oil or boil it in lightly salted water, until cooked.
Blend the asparagus with the lemon juice, grated peel, cottage cheese, basil leaves and vegetable milk. The latter should be added gradually, so that the result is a homogeneous cream, not too solid but not too liquid either. The quantity indicated is for an ideal creaminess, but depending on how the asparagus is cooked, it may require a little more milk or, if boiled, a little less.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water according to the indicated time. Drain al dente and add the cream. Serve and decorate with basil leaves, a sprinkling of cottage cheese, chopped pistachios and a drizzle of oil.