Tagliatelle with Asparagus and Parma Ham

Boil the pasta in salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water to finish the sauce.

Peel the white asparagus and trim the woody ends. Green asparagus does not need to be peeled, just trim the tough base of the stem. Tie the white and green asparagus separately into bundles with kitchen twine. In a tall, narrow pot, bring water to a boil. Place the asparagus in the pot: boil green asparagus for 5 minutes, and white asparagus for 8 minutes. Then drain and rinse with ice-cold water to stop the cooking.

In a large pan, melt the butter with the olive oil. Cut the cooked asparagus into pieces of about 3-4 cm, add it to the pan along with the crushed garlic, and sauté lightly.