Pappardelle with Asparagus and Lemon

The use of lemon zest (lemon peel that excludes the white, pithy part)
adds a tasty, piquant zing. If you dont have the special zester tool that
gives you the skinny little strips, you can use a regular vegetable
peeler. Be careful as you peel to get only the skin itself and not the
bitter white pith underneath. Cut the strips you have peeled into 1/2 to
1-inch lengths and then cut the lengths into skinny little sticks
1/16-inch wide. Presto! You now have lemon zest! (Or you can use an even
easier method and grate the lemon peel with a grater, although with this
method you wont have as pretty a look in the finished dish.)

1 bunch pencil-thin asparagus
1/2 pound pappardelle pasta (or fettucine)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced lemon zest
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut each stalk into 3 to 4
pieces, slicing on the diagonal. Cook the asparagus in a pot of lightly
salted, boiling water for 2 minutes, or until tender but still firm.
Immediately place in ice water or cold running water and drain. Cook pasta
in boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes. (Note: al
dente is the stage when the noodle is just firm enough to be springy, not
so firm that its core is hard, and yet not mushy to the tooth.) While the
pasta is cooking, combine lemon juice and white wine in a small non-stick
sauti pan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 to 3
tablespoons. Add salt and cream and reduce to about 2/3 cup. Remove from
heat and stir in one tablespoon of the lemon zest. Cover to keep warm
while the pasta is cooking. When pasta is cooked, drain and return it to
the cooking pot. Add asparagus pieces, lemon cream sauce and minced
parsley.
Toss gently to combine. Transfer to a warm serving platter or plates.
Garnish with remaining tablespoon of lemon zest and serve. Serves 6 to 8.



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