Thin Spaghetti with Asparagus and Shrimp, from Pisa

I love Thin Spaghetti with Asparagus and Shrimp (Spaghettini con Asparagi e Gamberi) from page 249 of Beth Elon's book, a Cullinary Traveller in Tuscany. She obtained the recipe from La Taverna dei Gabbiani, Marina di Pisa, at the mouth of the Arno River. It is relatively easy to make and serves six. I added extra shrimp to the recipe.

Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp (I used a pound and a half of medium shrimp). Get shrimp in the shell because the shells are used to make stock.
-1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine. (Publix supermarkets sell single-glass containers of chardonnay and other wines, so I didn't have to open a bottle for this small amount of wine.)
- 3 large, ripe tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
- 1 small bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 pound of spaghettini or other long, thin pasta.
- 1 pound of asparagus, steamed or boiled until cooked, but still firm, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
- Peel the shrimp, and remove the black vein. Prepare a stock with the shells and heads by putting them in a pan with 2 cups of water and boiling for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the shells, reserving the stock and keeping it at a simmer. Chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. (That step is unnecessary if you buy medium shrimp.)

- In a large pan big enough to hold the pasta and the sauce, sauté the chopped shallots in the oil. Add the shrimp, and sauté for another three minutes.

- Pour in the white wine. As it boils, add the tomatoes and parsley, and cook for another five minutes. Add a good amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, and lower the heat.

- Drop the pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. As soon as it begins to boil again, turn off the heat. Drain the pasta, and add to the pot holding the shrimp. Almost cover with the stock which was made from the shrimp shells. Begin to mix the pasta and sauce, adding more stock as the pasta absorbs. Add the chopped asparagus at the last minute, with some more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.