Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Mince cloves of garlic. Trim asparagus and slice stalks into 1.5 inch pieces. Add asparagus to the boiling water to blanch for 1-2 minutes.

Remove the asparagus from the water, drain and set aside. Keep the pot of water on the heat and return to a boil. Once boiling again, add the pasta to the pot.

Heat olive oil and minced garlic in a large frying pan over medium low heat and saute for 3 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the lemon juice to the pan and cook for another minute. 

Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce and mix until thoroughly melted in. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes or until al dente, before draining, remove 1/4 cup of pasta water from the pot and pour into the suace

Add drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat, then add the blanched asparagus to the pan and toss again.

Serve the pasta with lemon zest, black pepper, and grated parmesan cheese.