1 package wholewheat farfalle pasta (or any shape of pasta you fancy)
1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
zest of 1 lemon
juice of ½ lemon (if serving chilled, juice of whole lemon)
¼ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T fresh herbs (basil and/or thyme are my choices)
sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt water. Add pasta and cook to al dente following the package's suggestions.
Two minutes before pasta is ready add asparagus to the pot. When ready, drain pasta and asparagus, reserving a bit of the pasta water.
Using the same pot, melt butter and olive oil over a medium-low flame. Add garlic. As soon as you smell the garlic (less than 1 minute), add the shrimp and lightly season with sea salt and pepper.
Saute shrimp, turning as soon as they curl and turn pinkish. Once you've turned them, turn off the flame and add lemon juice.
Add pasta, asparagus, zest, cheese and fresh herbs. Toss to coat. (Avoid overcooking shrimp because the flavor and texture will be destroyed. I always turn off the flame halfway through the cooking process, because the pan and other ingredients have residual heat that finish the job beautifully.)
If pasta seems a bit dry, add a bit of pasta water or a bit more lemon juice. Adjust your seasonings to taste. Serve now, or chill to enjoy later.
Recipe by Mamaguru at http://mamaguru.com/asparagus-shrimp-farfelle-recipe/