Asparagus Fettuccine ~ page 89

We had this yummy side dish with crab cakes, and I thought it was a great pairing. The crab cakes and the pasta both tasted really good with fresh lemon squeezed over the top. Almost made me wonder if we should add some lemon juice to the recipe since there is zest in there already. The only thing I changed was I wanted it a little heavier on the asparagus, so I only used 3/4 pound of pasta instead of the one pound that it calls for. My asparagus was pretty thick, so I think a pound of thick stalks doesn't look like the same quantity as 1 pound of the thins stalks even though I know it really is. So depending on your asparagus size, you may want to adjust your pasta amount. I know alot of you complain about recipes that say " salt to taste", saying you don't know how much that means. It is hard to say, because I think I added 1/4 teaspoon to the recipe, then at the table Adam added almost another 1/4 teaspoon just to his serving! So, it is so different for everyone. Just start with a small amount. You can always add more later.

Oh, you know I did change one other thing...I tried it with 3 Tablespoons of butter instead of the 4 it calls for since I knew my crab cakes weren't low fat. The result....no difference, so feel free to "lighten" it up a bit if you want to! I got this recipe from the Williams Sonoma website years ago, I think they originally had the cheese just passed at the table, but I like having it tossed with the really hot pasta and butter & wine sauce. Next time I might try adding in another veggie...not sure what though, any suggestions? Maybe mushrooms? --Carissa