Instructions

1. Prepare the artichokes by trimming off the outer leaves, taking the choke out and slicing them thinly. (see this post about working with artichokes)
2. Pour oil into a pan big enough to hold all of the cooked pasta later.
3. Add the onions, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
4. Cook over low heat until softened.
5. Add the artichokes, stirring to coat with oil. Add about a cup of water, put lid on pan, and simmer for 8 minutes.
6. After 8 minutes, test for doneness. It's hard to advise on timing, since all artichokes are different. Mine were super tender and at 8 minutes were almost over cooked. You want them tender, but not falling apart.
7. In the meantime place ricotta, grated cheeses, pepper and eggs in a small bowl and whip till smooth with a fork.
8. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta.
9. Once you've put the pasta in, you can add the asparagus tips to the pan with the artichokes. Turn the heat to medium, add some of the pasta cooking water (about a cup) and cook until tips are tender. It should work out to be about when the pasta is done. You want to do this at the last minute to keep the asparagus bright green.
10. When pasta is almost done, drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.
11. Add the pasta to pan with vegetables. stirring over medium heat, adding 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved water. Finish cooking till pasta is al dente.
12. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking water to the ricotta mixture, stirring well.
13. Turn off the heat and ricotta mixture to the pan with the pasta, stirring well to mix.
14. Add parsley, and serve.