Asparagus with walnut-orange pesto and citronette
Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish
Recipe courtesy of "Molto Batali" (Ecco, 2011).
INGREDIENTS
Salt
2 pounds medium asparagus, thick ends snapped off
2 oranges
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup plus 1/4 cup extra- virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly ground Pecorino- Romano
Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a large pasta pot. Set a large ice bath nearby.
When the water comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until just softened, 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer the asparagus to the ice bath. When it has cooled, drain and set aside.
Make the pesto: Juice one of the oranges, removing any seeds, and set the juice aside for later. Chop what is left of the juiced orange – pith, rind, interior fruit and all – along with the remaining orange (again removing any seeds), and place the chopped orange in the bowl of a food processor. Add the walnuts, garlic, sugar, 1 cup of the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pecorino to the processor, and blend until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and season it with salt and pepper to taste. If it's too thick, add up to 1/4 cup of the reserved juice to loosen it up.
To make the citronette, place the reserved orange juice and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl and whisk to make an emulsion.
Arrange the cooked asparagus on a serving platter, and spoon the walnut-orange pesto over the stems. Drizzle the orange citronette over all. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons pecorino, and serve.
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