This Farfalle with Shrimp, Asparagus and Peas in Lemon Basil Cream Sauce is one of the dishes I prepared for this week’s asparagus session on THV11 This Morning, but I did not share the recipe on their blog. Not deliberately…just flat ran out of time with all of the Easter doings and grandchildren playing. Naturally, I’ve had a bunch of comments from watchers who wanted it! I’m glad to know they were watching!
I could probably eat some form of pasta at just about every meal, and this dish is definitely one that stays on my springtime meal rotation when the fresh asparagus and spring peas are plentiful. You can, of course, use frozen petite peas which work as well. As far as asparagus is concerned, I prefer the larger stalks because I think the flavor is much better than those tiny little thin ones. The lemon makes a light and lively taste addition and really perks up the dish. I prefer to use fresh lemons, but I always have Minute Maid frozen lemon juice on hand and have used it as well, but I do not use that other stuff in the green bottle. While I used farfalle, you can choose to use any other firm pasta such as penne or linguine.
My garden will include asparagus this year for the first time. I’m so excited and just hope I have the patience to delay harvesting. I’ll keep you updated on its progress on Instagram.
- 1 pound fresh asparagus. thinly sliced on the diagonal, about 11/2 inches
- 3/4-1 pound farfalle
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon emulsion
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh basil plus more for garnish
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
- 1 - 1 /2 cups petite sweet peas, thawed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup shaved Parmesan
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add in the asparagus and simmer for 2 minutes. (I use this same pot of water to cook the pasta.)
- Remove the asparagus and immediately shock in an ice water bath; strain and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter with the lemon zest, lemon emulsion, heavy cream and lemon juice over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken; stir in the 2 Tablespoons of minced basil.
- Set aside while preparing the pasta or make ahead and refrigerate until needed.
- In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, green onions and shrimp just until the vegetables are softened and the shrimp are cooked through.
- Prepare the farfalle to al dente following package directions; drain well.
- Stir the pasta into the garlic, shrimp and green onion mixture. Add in the asparagus, shrimp and peas..
- Stir in the lemon-basil cream sauce and heat through.
- Garnish with minced basil and shaved Parmesan before serving.
We have fresh asparagus from our garden right now and I’m looking for great recipes like this! Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it:) I saw my first spear yesterday and almost threw a party:)