tasteofhome.com

3/4 pound asparagus, thick ends removed
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 red chile, sliced into rings
8 very thin slices ham
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until just tender, 2 min. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Slice into thin diagonal slices. Add pasta to the water and cook only until slightly soft, after 7-8 min. Place garlic, chile and olive oil in a skillet over medium low, and cook until garlic is golden. Add  ham and reserved asparagus, and cook until slightly browned, 3-5 min. Add about 3 tablespoons of the pasta boiling water to the oil in the pan, stir in the cooked pasta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.  From www.asparagusrecipes.net.

womansday.com

12 oz. bow-tie (farfalle) pasta

1 bunch broccolini, cut into thirds

2 Tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup half-and-half

1⁄4 tsp. each salt and pepper

8 oz. cooked ham, cut into strips

Grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook as package directs, adding broccolini to water the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve about 1 cup of cooking water before draining. Meanwhile, heat butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until soft. Add half-and-half, salt and pepper; simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add ham, cover and cook until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss pasta and broccolini with sauce. Add a little pasta water to thin, if desired. Serve with grated Parmesan.  From Woman’s Day, May 5, 2009.

12 thin slices Brie about the same dimensions as the watermelon fingers
12 slices prosciutto ham

Place a piece of Brie on top of each watermelon finger and wrap each with a sliced of ham. Secure with a toothpick.

Adapted from www.watermelon.org.

With a swivel bladed vegetable peeler shred the carrots into fettuccine like strands. In a large skillet heat the butter over moderately high heat, until the foam begins to subside, and cook the onion and the ham, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the carrot strands, garlic, and the wine and cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is evaporated and the carrots are almost tender. Add the cream and the peas, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

From www.justvegetablerecipes.com.

Preheat oven 350º. Combine zucchini and 1 tsp salt in a colander; toss well. Set aside to drain for 30 min. Heat 3 Tb. the oil over med-high heat in a large cast-iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add potatoes and onion, reduce heat to med-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft, about 20 min. Increase the heat to med-high and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes brown, about 5 min. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon but keep skillet on the burner. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel; pat dry. Add zucchini and Canadian bacon to the skillet; sauté over med-high heat, until zucchini is just tender, about 4 min. Remove zucchini and Canadian bacon with a slotted spoon, keeping skillet over the heat. Beat eggs and pepper to taste in a  bowl until well blended. Fold in potatoes, zucchini and Canadian bacon, and cheese. Add 1-2 Tb of the remaining oil to skillet as needed to lightly coat bottom. Pour in egg mixture, reduce heat to med-low, and cook without stirring until the bottom is set, about 10 min. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until top is set, 5-15 min. Check every 5 min. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and invert the frittata onto it. Cut into wedges and serve. From Serving Up the Harvest  by Andrea Chesman.

4 ounces shredded Swiss or Jack cheese

4 large eggs

2 cups whipping cream

1 tablespoon dried onion

Salt and pepper

12 large asparagus spears cooked till tender-crisp (about 5 minutes)

Parsley

Line 4 buttered oval ramekins with ham, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle each with cheese. Combine the eggs, cream, onion flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Place 3 asparagus spears in each ramekin. Pour egg mixture over asparagus. Bake at 325 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, or until custard is set and mixture is lightly browned. Makes 4-6 servings.

*Ramekins are small glazed ceramic or glass serving bowls used for the preparation and serving of various food dishes.

From www.victoriaislandfarms.com.

3 3/4  cups  uncooked extra-broad egg noodles

2 1/2  cups  (1 1/2-inch) sliced asparagus

1/4  cup  all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

1  cup  whole milk

1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1  tablespoon  butter

3/4  cup  finely chopped onion

1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed ham (about 8 ounces)

1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450°. Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1/2 cup. Cook pasta in boiling water 7 min. Add asparagus; cook 1 min. Drain. Place flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in medium bowl; gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; sauté 4 min. Add milk mixture; cook until thick (about 4 min.), stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in juice. Combine the pasta mixture, milk mixture, ham, and parsley in large bowl; spoon into a 2-qt casserole. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

From Cooking Light, May 2001.