vaguely asian - peanut pasta salad with fresh asparagus

I'm not much of an Asian food fan, but for some reason the other day I became completely obsessed with finding a good sesame noodle recipe. I Googled and found two recipes that looked promising. I made one with rotini, one with vermicelli. Neither sparked my tastebuds, so I charged ahead, adding this, leaving out that. The final result is a nice tangy peanut sauce for pasta and fresh vegetables, and a marinade for chicken , should you wish to grill or saute it and add to the noodle salad. You can also use chunks of tofu. This is such a wonderful picnic dish, and perfect for a buffet or party as well.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks Lazy Day Peanut Noodle salad.

For the pasta:

1 box vermicelli, rotini, or fettucine

Large pot of boiling water

1-2 bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed and sliced on a slant

1 bunch fresh scallions ( green onions) trimmed and sliced thinly

For the dressing:

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup rice, red wine, or cider vinegar

3 cloves mashed garlic

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

2 T. toasted sesame oil

hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

hot water to thin sauce ( it should have the consistency of yogurt or sour cream)

Optional: a handful of whole salted peanuts for garnish

Throw pasta into pot of boiling water. Just before pasta is done, toss in the fresh asparagus and cook another five minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Toss pasta and asparagus with the sauce and scallions. Adjust seasonings. Serve on a large platter of salad greens, with a sprinkle of peanuts on top. If you're making the chicken, grill or saute, then slice into thin pieces and place on top of the pasta.

The chicken marinade:

3 cloves mashed garlic

1 heaping T. fresh minced ginger or 1 scant T. dry ginger

3 T. soy sauce

2 t. hot sauce

2 T. toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup rice, cider, or red wine vinegar

1 T. brown sugar.

Mix marinade well, marinate chicken for at least a half hour before cooking.