You can either make this salad all together and serve at the table in one bowl, or if you prefer, make a serving on each plate. (See the Smitten Kitchen recipe for the aesthetic virtues of the latter.)
First up, the toasted nuts. Put your almonds or pine nuts on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Nuts burn easily! Move them around often until theyre golden brown on the outside (not black) and tasty.
Next, turn your asparagus into ribbons! (Deb says to keep the tough ends on your asparagus and peel with a vegetable peeler from stalk to tip. Youll be left with the tough end, you can throw that out.) Pop your ribbons into your serving dish and squeeze lemon over the top of it. Drizzle a moderate amount of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix and add Parmesan - Deb suggests making Parmesan ribbons with your peeler. Sprinkle with toasted nuts.