Chop asparagus into one inch lengths, put pot of water on to boil with a little salt, and cook pasta until just before al a dente, add asparagus, cook another couple of minutes, drain and blanch. Slice onion into rings and cook until transparent, add garlic, habs, red pepper, sliced into pieces, lemon zest, and when this cooks for a couple of minutes, add the chicken broth and the lemon juice then add the ham, cut into strips, about the same length as the asparagus, check for how wet this is, add more water, OR a little dry white wine, and then add the cornstarch mix, carefuly.
Rinse the blanched pasta and asparagus with a little hot water to moisten if drying out, and add to the other mixture....toss this until well mixed, keep hot, and serve immediately, with either grated romano or parmesan, or my choice is a mix of the two, which I always have on hand. Enjoy, Cheers, Doug in BC

From: Doug Irvine
Posted By: Doug Irvine, dougandmarie@home.com
Post Date: Wed, 19 May 1999