Penne With Asparagus And Lemon-Parmesan Cream

• 3/4 lb penne pasta
• 1 lb asparagus, fiborous ends snapped off, peeled if thick, and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (divided)
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• fresh ground black pepper
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1 lemon, juice and zest of

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until it's just tender, about 9 minutes.
2. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, then stir in the asparagus and cook until both the penne and the asparagus are tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Drain well and return the asparagus and pasta to the pot along with 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes so cheese melts; add more of the pasta water if mixture becomes dry.
4. Stir in the chives, lemon zest and the lemon juice. Season generously with salt, pepper and more lemon juice to taste.
5. Serve with a sprinkling of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

penne pasta, freshly grated parmigiano, whipping cream, fresh ground black pepper, salt, chives, lemon

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/penne-with-asparagus-and-lemon-parmesan-cream-189829 (may not work)