Orecchiette with green asparagus and salmon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g pasta (orecchiette) or other pasta
• 260 g salmon fillet(s)
• 1 kg asparagus, green
• 1 small shallot(s)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml chicken broth
• 100 ml cream
• some lemon juice
• some sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt
• Pepper from the mill
• 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated, fresh
• cornstarch if needed

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Pasta and salmon, a classic

Peel the bottom third of the asparagus and trim off the woody ends. Slice the stalks diagonally into not-too-thin slices. Peel the shallot and dice finely. Cut the gray center of the salmon fillet into a wedge shape. Cut the salmon into not-too-small cubes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallot cubes until translucent, then add the asparagus pieces and fry until the asparagus is firm to the bite and has taken on some color. Season with salt and pepper, remove the asparagus pieces from the pan. In the still-hot pan, foam a knob of butter and briefly fry the salmon cubes on all sides. Season and remove. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, this takes about 12 minutes. Use the chicken stock to loosen any excess fat, then return the asparagus to the pan and let it warm through. Drain the pasta and toss it in the pan with a knob of butter. Now add the salmon to the sauce and pour in the cream. Season the sauce with a little lemon juice and sugar. Thicken with a little cornstarch, if desired. Serve the orecchiette in a deep pasta dish with the asparagus and salmon sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.