Creamy Linguine with White Asparagus

Finely chop the fresh herbs and grate the Parmigiano Reggiano in the meantime. Take the asparagus out of the pan when finished and set aside. Reserve 100ml per person of the cooking liquid and set aside, then add a pinch of salt to the pan and bring it back up to the boil for the linguine.

Boil the linguine for 10 - 12 minutes. Reserve some of the pasta water, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat, then whisk in the flour (see Tip).

Tip: this technique is known as making a roux. For this, it's important that the quantities are precise; 1 tbsp butter is 15g and 1 tbsp flour is 20g.

Add a third of the reserved cooking liquid and whisk to combine. Repeat twice more with the rest of the cooking liquid so as to make a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce for 1 - 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, then stir in the cream cheese, the asparagus and half of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Transfer the lingiuine to the sauce. Mix well to combine, adding some of the pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Meanwhile, heat a clean frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the bacon lardons for 3 - 4 minutes until done.