Saffron butter pasta with Caramelised Shallots, Baby Asparagus Tips & Lemon Zest

A simple but surprisingly flavourful and decadent recipe for a mid-week treat

Earlier this week, I shared this dish on my Instagram stories; it elicited a few curious requests for the recipe, so I thought I’d share it here too with my lovely Substack community.

If, looking at the picture above, you are thinking that’s an unusual type of pasta, don’t worry, even I have never come across it before! It was a gift from a quite posh new pasta brand, Atavi (who, by the way, are not sponsoring this post), and although theirs is smoky and thus extra special (again – I had never had smoked pasta before!), you can easily swap it with any short pasta you have at home (crucially, it needs to be ribbed. I explain why in my list of pasta pet peeves here below)

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Atavi also makes flavoured butters, amongst which the saffron one I used for this recipe – but fear not, I have catered for you making your own in the recipe below.

So, without further ado…enjoy the recipe!

Vortici with Caramelised Shallots, Saffron Butter, Baby Asparagus Tips & Lemon Zest

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 160–180g Vortici pasta (or any short, ridged pasta)

• 2 banana shallots, finely sliced

• 1 small bunch baby asparagus, trimmed and sliced into thirds

• A good pinch of saffron threads

• 40g unsalted butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon

• Sea salt and black pepper

• Optional: grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to serve

Method

1. Place the saffron in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of just-boiled water. Set aside to steep.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the asparagus for 1–2 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking.

3. In the same pot, cook the pasta until al dente, reserving a mugful of the starchy cooking water before draining.

4. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the sliced shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelised.

5. Once the shallots are ready, add the saffron water, the butter, and the blanched asparagus to the pan. Let the butter melt and everything come together in a golden, glossy sauce.

6. Toss in the drained pasta and a splash of the reserved pasta water, stirring well to emulsify the sauce and coat the pasta.

7. Finish with the lemon zest and a grind of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

8. Serve immediately, with grated Parmigiano if you like.