Gretchen’s table: Summery asparagus, pecorino and lemon tagliolini invites you into the ‘Monday Pasta Club’

Pasta is on many cooks’ weekly rotation because it’s often super easy to prepare after a busy day at work or school, is relatively inexpensive and, for those who like to experiment with new ingredients and flavor combinations, offers countless ways to change up your weeknight routine.

If you need a little inspiration, “The Monday Pasta Club” from British pastry chef Ed Barrow, which will be released later this fall, offers a new dish for every week of the year — and then some.

Born during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cookbook is a shining example of the good that can come out of something bad.

Nearly every day in November 2020, Barrow cooked fresh pasta using the pasta machine he received from his parents for his 12th birthday. The desire to show off the fruits of his labor led to the creation of a blog in which he posted a new recipe each week.

Falling into a “never ending rabbit hole of reading, watching and making pasta,” he notes on the page’s introduction, was a “continuous journey of learning, reading, watching and researching that is constantly enriching my knowledge of the world that is pasta.”

The cookbook that grew out of his regular Monday posts includes 60 of his favorite dishes, some of which take no more than 15 minutes and a couple of everyday ingredients to whip together, and others that require more than an hour to prepare.

Each of the book’s four chapters include five vegetarian, five fish and five meat recipes written to serve two generously.

Asparagus is often the star of early to mid-spring dishes because it’s among the first green veggies to brighten our plates when winter gives way to warmer weather. But it can shine in a summer meal, too, because the stalks cook quickly and work just as wonderfully as a side dish for grilled chicken or barbecued pork as they do tucked into a salad or piled on top of a white pizza.

Here, the crisp-tender vegetable adds a colorful contrast to a creamy pasta dish flavored with gently sautéed leeks, creme fraiche and white wine, the bite of Dijon mustard and the tang of fresh lemon juice. It’s elegant, but not so much that you will feel weird eating it after soccer practice on Tuesday.

I couldn’t find tagliolini, a type of thin ribbon pasta, at my local grocery store, so I substituted in slightly wider tagliatelle.

Be sure to give the leeks a thorough rinse in a bowl of cold water after you slice them; sand and dirt get caught between the allium’s leafy layers as it grows in the field.

Asparagus, Pecorino and Lemon Tagliolini

PG tested

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 leek, trimmed, finely sliced and well rinsed

2 small garlic cloves, finely sliced

A few fresh thyme leaves

4 tablespoons dry white wine

4 ounces creme fraiche or sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Freshly grated nutmeg

5 1/2 ounces taglioini

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed

2 1/2 ounces finely grated pecorino Romano, plus extra to serve

1 lemon, halved, for squeezing

Salt and pepper

Add butter to a large frying pan or skillet and place over a low heat. Once melted, add leek, garlic and thyme leaves and gently fry over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly. The leek should be completely soft and translucent.

Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Meanwhile, add wine to the softened leeks and turn up the heat to high. Boil the wine for a minute or two to evaporate the alcohol.

Add creme fraiche or sour cream, mustard and a little grated nutmeg. Turn heat to low and stir until combined. Leave to gently simmer while cooking the pasta.

Add tagliolini to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, using the timing on the package instructions as your guide. Add asparagus to the water for the final 4 minutes until just tender.

Drain pasta and asparagus, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add pasta to pan with the sauce, keeping the asparagus to one side while you finish the sauce.

Sprinkle the pecorino Romano over the pasta in the pan and squeeze over a little lemon juice and a generous splash or two of the cooking water. (I used the entire lemon.)

Season well with salt and pepper and let the cheese melt into the top of the pasta for 30 seconds. Toss vigorously together over the heat for a minute or two until the sauce is emulsified and coats the pasta.

Add a little more of the pasta cooking water, if needed, to give the sauce a good, creamy consistency.

Divide between two bowls and top with the asparagus, followed by a little extra grated cheese.