Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
300 g (10 oz) fettuccine
500 g (1 lb) total of medium to thick
Green and white asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon–flavoured olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150 g (5 oz) fresh ricotta
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
100 g (4 oz) Parma ham or other prosciutto
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Cook pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water until al dente, following package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold running water and leave to cool. Trim ends from asparagus spears. Peel white asparagus from the tips to the ends and green asparagus only at the ends.
2. Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, slice asparagus lengthwise into thin strips. Place in a steamer basket. Fill a large saucepan with water to a depth equal to the width of two fingers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Place steamer basket on top of pan. Cover; cook asparagus about 5 minutes or until crisp–tender. Drain, reserving cooking water. Leave to cool.
4. Whisk olive oil, lemon–flavoured olive oil, vinegar and 4 to 5 tablespoons reserved cooking water in a large bowl until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta; stir to coat with dressing. Stir in asparagus.
5. Combine ricotta, milk and lemon juice. Stir in Parmesan; add salt and pepper to taste. Trim fat from ham. Cut ham into narrow strips. Arrange salad in individual bowls. Spoon a little ricotta mixture on each serving. Add ham. Garnish with basil leaves.

Nutrients Per Serving:  1976 kilojoules/472 calories, 21 g protein, 23 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 39 mg cholesterol, 45 g carbohydrate, 4 g fibre.