Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

This is a frequent weekday staple for us during the May-June asparagus season. It's simple, requires little preparation and is totally nutritious and delicious. Nom nom nom nom...

Ingredients:

• enough pasta for two
• a fat bunch of asparagus
• 4-5 ripe tomatoes or 20 cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a small bunch of basil
• a generous handful of pine nuts
• a few tbsp of crème fraîche
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• Parmesan cheese

Set the pasta boiling in plenty of water for the packet time. (We're addicted to tricolore trottole but you can use whatever you like!) Snap the asparagus and slice into bite-sized pieces, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Peel the garlic and put it in a crusher.

Heat a few tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan until it begins to shimmer. Add the asparagus pieces and toss around for one minute. Add the chopped tomotoes and crush in the garlic; stir well and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus pieces are just tender. Meanwhile, dry-fry the pine nuts until golden. Drain the pasta and toss in the crème fraîche and lemon juice, then serve topped with the asparagus and tomoatoes, torn basil, the pine nuts, and some grated Parmesan cheese.