Spaghetti “Alfredo” with shaved asparagus and charred tomatoes

Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the pasta cooking water.
While the water heats and the spaghetti cooks, prepare the tomatoes.

• Cut the tomatoes in half.

In a large frying pan over high heat, warm 2 to 3 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Do not clean the pan.
While the tomatoes cook, prepare the remaining ingredients.

• Peel and finely chop enough shallots to measure ¼ cup [½ cup].
• Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon [2 tsp].
• Snap off the woody ends from the asparagus. Using a peeler and starting at the base and working toward the tip, thinly shave the asparagus stalks into ribbons. Alternatively, cut the asparagus stalks on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
• Zest and juice the lemon, keeping the zest and juice separate. [Zest and juice 1 lemon; save the remaining lemon.]
• Strip the basil leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves. Divide into two equal portions, one for the pasta and one for garnish.

In the same pan used for the tomatoes, warm 2 to 3 teaspoons oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until starting to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and as much Aleppo chile as you like, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the asparagus is starting to soften, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the vegan “cheese” sauce, 1 tablespoon [2 TBL] lemon juice, 2 tablespoons [¼ cup] white wine, if using, and ½ cup [1 cup] reserved pasta cooking water, adding more water as needed to reach a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the spaghetti and tomatoes and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and half the basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spaghetti, vegetables, and sauce to individual plates. Garnish with the remaining basil and any remaining Aleppo chile, if desired, and serve.