Warm Asparagus Pasta Salad

Put the asparagus tips in a baking tray. Sprinkle with oil and salt and roast at 150ºF (300ºF) for fifteen minutes, until cooked and slightly crispy. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package directions.

Store 3 of the asparagus stalks in a glass of water in the fridge, covered with plastic. Cut the remaining spear in half crosswise, then shave into very thin strips. I use a knife to pare them as thin (and wonky) as I can get them.

Put the shaved asparagus into a large bowl and marinate in white wine vinegar with black pepper.

When the pasta is almost cooked, promptly drain and leave in the colander. Because this is a warm pasta salad, the next few steps should be done fairly quickly, giving the pasta time to cool a little (not too much) but not allowing the sauce to get unnecessarily hot.

Add the butter to the pasta pan and roughly chop the onion and garlic. Fry in the melted butter for no longer than one minute before adding the tomato sauce. Stir the butter into the sauce and add the cream. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of cinnamon (the slight sweetness takes away any metallic-tasting residue from the tomato tin, making it taste far more fresh than it actually is). Leave to combine on the lowest heat while you assemble the rest of the salad.

If your asparagus-marinading bowl is large enough, continue in that bowl. If not, move to a larger one.

Dump the cooling pasta into the large bowl. Put the asparagus stalks with their residual vinegar on top. Add the roasted asparagus tips, with their salty oil. Then pour the warmed tomato sauce on top. Toss through and serve with grated cheese to taste.