Pasta With Italian Ham and Asperagus

If you are planning to use Green or White Asparagus, now is the time as they are fully in season .
Even though my favourite is White Asparagus which we have been buying every week from the local market.
And few days back when I was in the shops I saw green ones and they were really so cheap that I said I will take a bunch.
And next day for lunch I was like what am I going to prepare with these and I thought I usually make a pasta dish with peas and Ham and I thought why not use the green asparagus instead of peach, which I think give a much better taste to the whole dish.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I took a trip to Paris with two other food bloggers and Nisha from My Kitchen Antics had given me these beautiful bowl and plate and till now I have been waiting to use them for a dish and as the green Asparagus suits the color of the bowl and parsley is green too , I thought it is about time I used them.

Serves 4

3 tbsp oil olive oil
1 onion chopped fine
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
100 ml Noilly prat ( you can add a sweeter white wine , but i always have Nolly prat which i think is so handy to have at home )
150 gm of Italian Ham slices roughly
300 gm green asparagus ( I peeled them, you don't have to) chopped keep the part of the tips whole
1/4 tsp chicken stock powder (optional)
A big hand full of chopped parsley
100 ml cream
200 ml milk
2 tbsp corn flour ( Mix with little bit of cold water)
Pepper and salt to taste
350 gm pasta
60 gm freshly grated parmesan.

Heat in a pan the oil add the onions saute till they are soft, add the garlic fry for 1 minute and add the chopped asparagus , cook for 2 minutes add the Noilly Prat and cook for few minutes till most of it has evaporated, add the stock powder if you are using, . Cook till the asparagus tips are cooked but not too soft, add the tips, Ham ,parsley and cook for few minutes.
Now add the milk and cream and bring the mixture to boil, add the corn flour water mix and thicken the whole dish ( you might not have to use the full amount of the cornflour paste)
Add pepper and salt ( take care with the salt as there is salt in the stock powder and italian ham is salty too)
Add the cooked pasta and serve with a generous sprinkling of pasta.