TAGLIATELLE WITH ASPARAGUS AND LEMON SAUCE

Countess Lisa Contini is one of the greatest home-cooks in Tuscany. She cooks lunch for her family and guests, always a crowd at Tenuta di Capezzana, the Contini family's Estate that produces fine wine and extra virgin olive oil in the hills west of Florence. She cooks a wonderful pasta flavoured with lemon peel and herbs, a winning combination that can also be added to an asparagus sauce. Asparagus are boiled, then pursed with lemon peel and parsley, whipped with extra virgin olive oil, finished with thinly slices of leek for a non-traditional but tasty sauce for short pasta.

Remove the roots and any tough bruised outer asparagus leaves. Split each leave in half lengthwise and rinse carefully to eliminate any dirty between the leaves.
Saute asparagus in a 3 qt pot with extra virgin olive oil until wilted. Add the stock, ½ cup at a time, until asparagus are soft, very cooked.
Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add 2-3 tablespoon salt. Cook the pasta in salted water until it still offer considerable resistance to the tooth, around three quarters of the recommended cooking time. Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water. Add the pasta, ½ cup pasta water, drained to the cooked asparagus in the pot add the lemon zest and cook over highest heat for 3-5 minutes until the pasta is almost cooked and the sauce coasts the pasta. Add more pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, if sauce gets to dry. Sauce should surround pasta   but be slightly liquid since cheese will thicken it.
Add grated parmigiano, heat for an additional minute to melt the cheese and serve immediately.