Shrimp & Asparagus with Pappardelle

Earlier in the year, my most excellent friend, Mrs P., took me to Gagliano’s Italian Market & Deli where I found all kinds of treasures. One of the goodies was Pappardelle which is a large, very broad, flat pasta noodle.

Tonight dinner was a joint effort by The Mister and I.

What we used:

1/2 lb Pappardelle (which happened to be this entire package)
3 or 4 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb raw peeled & deveined medium shrimp
2 small shallots, sliced thinly
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Himalayan pink salt
Cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons butter

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta.

Heat the oil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but still crisp.

Add the shallots and red pepper flakes. Cook until those too are crisp but tender.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook until the shrimp are bright.

Add the drained pasta, butter and about 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss to mix it up well. Add more reserved cooking water if needed. (Heh, I missed snapping a photo of this step.)

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and another grind or two of cracked pepper.