Pasta With Asparagus Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup water, or as needed
1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup packed fresh basil, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
1 (16 ounce) package orecchiette pasta

Preparation

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; add pine nuts. Cook and stir pine nuts until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes.
Pour enough water into a skillet to reach a 1-inch depth; bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Set aside 1/2 cup asparagus tips.
Blend remaining asparagus, pine nuts, reserved 1/2 cup cooking water, 1/2 cup basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper in a blender until smooth, keeping the center piece of lid removed to release steam. Add Pecorino-Romano cheese; blend until smooth.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orecchiette pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and return pasta to pot.
Slice the remaining 1/4 cup basil. Add sliced basil, asparagus sauce, reserved asparagus tips to pasta; toss to evenly mix. Garnish with extra Pecorino-Romano cheese.