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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2015 14 Food Asparagus and pasta – a match made in heaven Although asparagus are delicious on their own (or dipped in a warm hollandaise sauce) as a starter or a light supper, mixing those delicious spears with pasta makes for a much heartier meal. Try some of these recipes from Gourmet TODAY TV. Pippa Mattei makes a classic carbonara, giving it a little twist by substituting the bacon for asparagus and Sean Gravina makes fresh ravioli stuffed with asparagus, mint and mashed potato. Don't miss Gourmet TODAY TV, shown on TVM every Friday at 18:40. Pippa Mattei Serves 4 Ingredients • 500g asparagus • 500g linguine • 4 egg yolks • 2 cloves garlic, crushed with a pinch of sea salt • 150g Parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for serving • Salt and pepper Method Snap off the tough ends of the 1. asparagus, then cut at an angle into 2cm slices. Set aside, leaving spears intact. Add linguine to a pot of boiling salted 2. water, which you will be cooking until just al dente. (2 minutes less than the cooking time on the packet). Halfway through cooking time (about 3. 5 minutes left) add the asparagus to the pot. Continue cooking till the pasta is ready. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks and 4. garlic into a sauté pan (off the heat) and beat just until the yolks are broken up. Add 2 ladlefuls of the pasta water and keep to one side. Sieve the linguine and sliced 5. asparagus, keeping another 4 ladles of water aside. Add the linguine and asparagus to your sauté pan. Add the Parmesan, put back on the 6. heat, and toss the pasta by shaking the pan or using a wooden spoon, to coat the pasta in sauce. Add more water until you have the desired consistency. Serve with more Parmesan and some 7. freshly ground black pepper. Get more of Pippa Mattei's recipes in her books 25 Years In A Maltese Kitchen and Pippa's Festa. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 15 May, 2015. Sean Gravina Ingredients • 130g potatoes, peeled • 340g asparagus, bases trimmed and stalks peeled • ½ garlic clove • Olive oil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 handful fresh mint, chopped • 500g fresh pasta • 1 large knob of butter • 1 heaped tablespoon mascarpone cheese • 1 handful grated Parmesan Method • Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender and drain. • Remove the tips of the asparagus and set to one side. • Finely slice the stalks and fry with the garlic in a little olive oil until tender, placing a lid on the pan. • Remove from the heat, add the potato and mash together. • Season carefully and add half the chopped mint to taste. • Roll out the pasta using a pasta machine, starting on the thickest setting and reducing the setting to the one before the finest setting every second time you put the pasta through the machine. • On a floured surface, cut the pasta into large discs, depending on how large you want your ravioli. • Place one teaspoon of filling onto the centre of the pasta discs. • Rub the edges with water and cover with another disc of pasta, pressing the sides down to seal. Ravioli may be kept in the fridge for a few hours or frozen at this stage. • Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Gently drop the ravioli in along with the asparagus tips. Boil for 3-4 mins and drain. • Toss the ravioli in butter, mascarpone, Parmesan and the remaining mint. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 15 May, 2015. Asparagus carbonara with linguine Asparagus and mint ravioli tossed in mascarpone