fettucine with asparagus and parma ham

a few weeks ago we had an angela hartnett pasta dish that was wonderful – linguine with peas and parma ham.

the mix of crunchy green vegetables and soft sweet parma ham is a winning combination with pasta and is something i’ve revisited regularly. this time, it’s the turn of asparagus to shine, oomphed up with a little lemon zest for extra zinginess.

as with the original dish, this can be made vegetarian by swapping the parma ham with soft goats cheese.

fettucine with asparagus and parma ham (serves 2)

fettucine for two

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1 bundle of asparagus, just cooked then sliced into bitesize pieces

juice and zest of half a lemon

6 slices parma ham, torn into pieces

1 tablespoon parmesan, in rough shavings

1 tablespoon fresh basil, roughly chopped

cook the linguine. meanwhile heat the olive oil and cook the garlic over a low heat until it starts to turn golden. add the asparagus, lemon juice and zest, mix well and turn the heat off, leaving the flavours to infuse.

when the pasta is ready, drain it and mix with the asparagus. add the basil. split the pasta between two plates, scatter the cheese over and top with the pieces of parma ham. serve.