Ingredients (for 4 people):
Two tins of white beans (cannellini – you can also cook these from dried, after soaking overnight)
Asparagus
250g ‘short’ pasta (e.g. ‘tubetti’ or another small pasta shape – even broken spaghetti works well).
Peperoncino (Hot Chilli)
Instructions
In a big pan, add oil, garlic, and peperoncino. Lightly fry until the garlic is just turning yellowy (take care not to burn the garlic!).
Add the beans, together with the liquid from the can. Salt to taste.
Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, then add the raw asparagus. [NB. some cooks only use the asparagus tips here, while others use more of the asparagus, chopping it into thin slices and discarding only the hard ends].
Cook for 5 minutes, then add 250g of ‘short’ pasta. Cook for 7-8 minutes, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
For a ‘red’ variation of this dish (‘in rosso’), add a teaspoon of tomato concentrate together with the beans.
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