Pasta with Walnuts & Asparagus

Ingredients :

1/2 box ( 8 oz / 227g ) Notta Pasta, any width  

1 lemon (1 tsp grated rind* plus 1/4 cup juice)  

1 & 1/4 lbs (575g) fresh asparagus  

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil  

1/2 cup chopped walnuts  

2 cloves garlic, minced  

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf variety)  

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan  

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation :

1 Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. 

2 In a small bowl combine lemon rind and juice. Set aside.
  
3 Cut asparagus into 1? diagonal slices. Reserve tips and set aside. Boil stems 3 to 6 minutes or until just tender-crisp, adding tips two minutes after stems. Using a slotted spoon, remove asparagus to a bowl and set aside. Reserve water for cooking pasta.
  
4 Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Saut? walnuts and garlic until fragrant, being careful not to brown. Remove from heat.
  
5 Boil Notta Pasta in asparagus water according to box directions. Drain, briefly rinse and add to skillet. Toss to coat with oil and walnuts.  

6 Mix in lemon juice, parsley, Parmesan and asparagus. Gently heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.