Pronto Pasta Primavera

Boil a kettle

Add the conchiglie to a pot of boiled water with a pinch of salt, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 8-12 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Meanwhile, trim the ends off the asparagus spears

Chop each asparagus spear into three pieces

Peel and slice (don't chop!) the garlic

Grate the cheddar cheese

Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and chop the stalks finely, keeping the leaves whole 

Trim, then slice the spring onion[s] finely and set aside for garnish

Zest 1/2 [1] lemon (try to grate lightly with a micro-plane or sharp box grater and avoid grating the white pith, as this is very bitter!) and set the zest aside for garnish

Cut the lemon[s] in half

Once the conchiglie has cooked for 8 min, add the chopped asparagus and garden peas to the pot and cook for a further 3-4 min or until both are tender 

Once tender, drain the conchiglie, asparagus and peas, reserving a little of the starchy pasta water

Meanwhile, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a large knob of butter over a medium heat

Once hot, add the garlic with a pinch of salt and cook for 1-2 min or until starting to brown

Once browned, add the creme fraiche, chopped basil stalks, basil leaves, Dijon mustard and half of the grated cheddar (reserve the rest for garnish!) and cook for 2 min

Add the drained conchiglie, peas and asparagus with a few splashes of starchy pasta water and remove the pan from the heat

Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 [1] zested lemon and season generously with both salt and pepper - this is your primavera pasta 

Cut the remaining unzested lemon into wedges