Springtime Bows with Asparagus, Ham, and Peas (...or not)

From Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats



Ingredients:
1 pound bow-tie pasta
1/4 cup EVOO
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 pound asparagus
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 pound prosciutto, chopped or shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the bow ties al dente. Drain, reserving a couple ladles of the cooking water.

Halve each stalk of asparagus lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the EVOO, shallot, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the asparagus. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the cooking water, drained pasta, and cheese. Add the peas and prosciutto as you toss. The peas will heat through quickly. Season with salt and pepper and serve in shallow bowls with lots of basil on top.

Comments:
Oo-kay. So, I'm thinking I should rename this one Autumn Radiatore with Asparagus, Bacon, and Green Beans. Utter and total FAIL with following the ingredient list.

I thought I had bow ties, but turns out I didn't, so I subbed another cool shaped pasta. It was a lot smaller than the bow ties would have been so not only did it cook faster (and therefore got kinda mushy) but it took up a lot more space that I anticipated. No worries.

Hey I had asparagus! But I didn't halve it. I just cut it into chunks. Worked fine.

Ham? I guess that'd be the prosciutto. What's the difference between prosciutto and pancetta? Are they the same thing? Eh, doesn't really matter since I generally ignore that and sub bacon. Which is what I did here. Mmmmm. Bacon.

I could have SWORN I got at least one bag of peas a few weeks back when they were 10/$10 at the grocery store. But lo and behold - many, MANY bags of corn. No peas. Drat. So I figured beans would work. They're...green. I nuked them for a few minutes to give them a head start since they are bigger than peas.

All in all, disregarded the ingredients, but followed the method. Adam enjoyed it (although he didn't notice the beans until I pointed out that I had swapped them for the peas. That "not paying attention to what he's eating" thing again I guess) and even went back for seconds. Woo!