Lemon-Off Trial #2: Lemon Spagetti with Asparagus

I recently added Eat Live Run to my Google Reader and I think it's safe to say I save almost every other recipe that Jenna posts. (She's also pretty funny, so I highly recommend checking it out.)  A week ago her recipe for Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Asparagus was sitting in my reader. This is the recipe that made me realize I had to make Lemon the next neighborhood bake/cook-off.  On Saturday I decided I would be testing it out this week to see if it was the one for the competition.  Or really because I am just all about lemon right now.
I really like this recipe. Like, Jenna, I am not a huge fan of asparagus.  My grandma used to have a patch of it growing on the path to her house and she would pick it and try to get us to eat it raw. I think it was the smell that really got to me. Anyway, it is great in this recipe.  The thing that I will probably delete next time is the sun-dried tomatoes. I am not a tomato fan at all.  Actually I would probably include them for flavor again, but not actually eat them, its more the texture that gets me.  The combo of the lemon and red pepper flavors are so excellent together.  For the cook-off I think I need something even more lemony, but this recipe will be frequenting my kitchen from here on out.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz linguine pasta
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (I added a bit more than the original)
• juice of two large meyer lemons to equal about 1/2 cup 
• bunch asparagus, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done. When pasta is done, remove noodles with a slotted spoon, reserving boiling water. 
2. Blanch asparagus in water for thirty seconds, until bright green. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute for thirty seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the pasta, sundried tomatoes and asparagus to the pan and toss everything together. Pour in the lemon juice along with additional cooking water if the dish seems too dry. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!