Instructions: First of all wash the asparagus; it is surprising how many little bits of grit can be on the buds so wash the buds and give the stalks a quick wash too. Then gathering your asparagus up cut off the tips about 60mm from the top and put to one side.

Carefully peel away any stringy bits from the stalks and discard.

Finely slice the stalks across and saute gently with a little olive oil some of the butter and all the garlic

Once the asparagus stalks are well cooked even semimushy add a little seasoning and allow to cool.

Once cooled place the stalks in a bowl with the ricotta threequarters of the mint and the parmesan.

Fold everything together and check for seasoning.

Fill the tortellini (qv tortellini) and cook in boiling salted water for about 3 to 4 minutes until tender.

While the tortellini are cooking place the asparagus tips into boiling water and cook until tender.

Toss the tips into a bowl with a little salt and the remaining butter and spoon over your tortellini.

Lovely with a little extra parmesan grated over the top and the remaining chopped mint if you like.

This is an excellent dish. The sad thing about asparagus is that they are always very highly trimmed and you lose a lot of stalk but this dish uses asparagus to its full.

Serves 4

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