June 3: Springtime Bows with Asparagus, Ham, and Peas

   Coarse salt
1 pound bow-tie pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound asparagus
1 shallot, thinly sliced
   Coarse black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 pound ham, chopped or shredded
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the bow ties al dente, with a bite. Heads up: You will need a couple of ladles of starchy cooking water.

Halve each stalk of asparagus lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces.

Saute the shallot with the garlic as above, then add the asparagus and cook for 5 minutes.

Add 2 ladles of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and add to the asparagus. Toss with the cheese and turn off the heat. Toss for 2 minutes and add the peas and ham as you toss. The peas will heat through quickly.

Season with salt and pepper and serve in shallow bowls with lots of basil on top.

4 SERVINGS

This meal was taken from November, but since it's called "Springtime Bows" I decided to make it in June. This is the variation on Zucchini and Bow Ties. I like it, but I didn't have enough cheese. I'm sure it would have been much better with more cheese. I changed the Parmigiano-Reggiano to Parmesan and I changed the prosciutto to ham. I don't consider prosciutto to be ham. Real ham is so much better, at least to my small American taste buds.