Pasta with Wild Hops
Instructions:
- 1/ 2 pound nopoli (wild hops) or pencil-thin asparagus tips (225 g)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/ 4 beef bouillon cube, crumbled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/ 2 pound spaghetti (225 g)
- Rinse the nopoli thoroughly, swishing them around in a large bowl of cold water to clean them thoroughly. Let soak while you prepare the pasta as follows.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with the garlic. Cook over moderate heat until the garlic is brown, about 3 minutes; discard the garlic. Lift out the nopoli and without draining add them to the oil in the skillet. Add the 1/ 4 bouillon cube. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet with the nopoli. Toss to mix well. Serve with a pepper mill at the table. Romans do not eat cheese with this dish.