Asparagus? In November!?

If you can believe it, I found asparagus for $1.99 lb. last week. I couldn't believe it, but of course I bought it. I had in mind what I always have in mind when I have asparagus, Giada's Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus, and Walnuts. Have you made this one? If you haven't, go out right now and buy the ingredients! The combination of flavors in this pasta dish, indescribable, but I'll try to describe them. Slightly firm asparagus, creamy mascarpone cheese, meaty cremini mushrooms, al dente pasta, and crunchy walnuts. If it were me reading this and not writing it, my reply would be, "you had me at asparagus."

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus and Walnuts

Salt
1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add salt. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the farfalle. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 1/2 cup of walnuts. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts. Serve.

If my photo looks dry, it's only because I forgot to take the picture when it was done and this picture is of the leftovers that had already been in the fridge. Believe me, this is NOT a dry pasta. If you make it, let me know how you like it. IMO, it can't be bad with all those wonderful ingredients in it.