Pasta with White Asparagus, Prosciutto and Peas

White asparagus enjoys its own culinary season in many parts of Europe. In Germany, it's usually served with ham and covered with Hollandaise sauce. The Italians add it to risotto. In Spain it's often served chilled with mayonnaise. It can be a bit elusive here in the States, but I came across some at Whole Foods and decided to try it with pasta. I started by peeling the bitter skin off of the asparagus. Then I chopped it and sauteed it in butter with onions. Once that started to soften, I added prosciutto, a splash of white wine, spring peas and a scoop of creme fraiche. When that was all combined, I tossed in whole wheat pasta and some fresh ground pepper. With a glass of Italian white wine (we had a crisp Orvieto) it was a tasty summer dinner.