Linguine with shrimp and garlic

Pia’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing her recipe for Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce last time….

My comfort food of choice is, without question, pasta. Growing up in a half-Italian household, we ate pasta about three or four times a week. And while my interest in cooking did not bloom until my mid- twenties, I managed to make half-decent pasta dishes (with a little help from the jar). Yes, I shamefully admit that my early cooking years included bottled tomato sauce.

My skills did eventually improve, and I began to make sauces from scratch. And now that I’m at ease in the kitchen, I’ve found that I most enjoy cooking with simple, fresh, high quality ingredients. I actually like being able to taste the individual flavors in a dish, rather than the overly sweetened Prego that I once doused all over my rigatoni.

In addition to loving all things pasta, I also adore seafood. So, one of my favorite things to make is seafood pasta dishes. Sometimes they’re creamy and robust, other times they are light and fragrant. I find both are comforting, depending on my mood. And so, here is my super-simple and light recipe for Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh raw shrimp, (peeled and deveined)
• half a pound of linguine pasta, cooked al dente (don’t forget to salt the water)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• juice of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (add more or less to taste)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by adding the olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, making sure not to let it brown. At this point, you can also add the red pepper flakes. Also add about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic has softened.

Now you can add the shrimp to the pan. The shrimp will cook very quickly — about 3-5 minutes. Season the shrimp with a bit of salt and pepper. I find that a half teaspoon of salt is fine, because the pasta has been cooking in salted water. Start with a little and then see if you need more.

Remove the linguine from the boiling water and add it to the sauce. Add the parsley and remaining lemon juice and give it a quick toss. Allow the pasta to cook for a minute or two in the pan so it can absorb the lovely lemon juice and spicy olive oil. Serve immediately. And for heaven’s sake, PLEASE do not put cheese on this dish. You will destroy it. Eat and enjoy!!

Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Mar 27, 2009 @ 09:54 EST5EDT