This will easily serve 6 as a starter for a dinner party. Asparagus and smoked salmon are made for each other in my humble opinion so I set about trying to make a dish that would complement both those flavours without overpowering either of them.


Serves 4

Ingredients
250 gr smoked salmon
400 ml crème fraiche
400g fresh linguine
Large handful fresh dill, chopped (reserve some leaves for decoration)
Zest of 1 lemon and half of the juice
50g pine nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
Freshly ground pepper

Method
Mix chopped dill, lemon zest (reserve a little for decoration) and juice into the crème fraiche. Add some freshly ground pepper. Set aside

Cut smoked salmon into strips. Chop a little of the salmon finely and reserve for decoration

Snap the asparagus (reserve stalks for soup or stock). Cut each asparagus tip in half lengthways, then cut each piece again, crossways so they are like little batons

Steam the asparagus over a pan of boiling water for 4-5 minutes or until just tender Switch off and keep warm over the water

Cook linguine in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and put back in warm pan. Add the crème fraiche mix and the smoked salmon and put on a low heat to warm through. Lastly add the asparagus (keep a few tips for decoration) and pine nuts (keep a few for garnish) and carefully stir them through the mix

Place pasta into warmed bowls or plates and decorate the top with the reserved chopped smoked salmon, asparagus tips, dill leaves and pine nuts

Serve immediately along with a rocket and watercress salad and some crusty bread

Cook’s tip: Dill can be found as plants in the markets or in packets in supermarkets, generally in the chiller cabinet that houses bagged salads