Serving up shrimp (and pasta)

I am not a "one-cuisine" type of person, but if I had to pick one for the rest of my life, it would be Italian. Nothing feeds my soul more than pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, cheese and herbs. There is so much you can do with Italian cooking and the more I learn, the more I love it. I had a hankering for shrimp the other night, as well as pasta, so I just decided to blend the two, because Italians do seafood deliciously!

This meal made me so happy because it involved me first, in the garden, gathering herbs and greens. I love when I can gather veggies and herbs from the garden to use in the kitchen. It doesn't get fresher than that! I realize as I cook, I tend to cook more for six to eight persons than the "standard" four servings. We are a family of six and my parents are currently still living with us, so we are eight around the table. Our four children, all boys mind you, show absolutely no signs of slowing appetites. If my recipes simply yield too much, just cut it down. Okay, let's get to it.

Get out a big skillet. The biggest you have because you are going to want room for all the stages of this meal, including the pasta at the end (should you choose to toss it all together). Before you start heating your skillet and melting butter, prep the garlic. Garlic can cook fast and burn easily, so get it all ready before it hits the heat. Melt four tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in your skillet, along with two tablespoons of olive oil, stirring the two to incorporate them. Now add in the garlic and herbs and cook until fragrant, about 6 minutes or so.

You want your garlic soft but not to burn, it will be in the pan for a while...so keep that heat at medium low. Now for the fun part...shrimp! Assuming you have taken tails off and deveined, they can go in the skillet next, as one layer. Cook two minutes on each side. You want them pink and just cooked. Using a slotted spoon (and trying to leave as much garlic and herbs in the pan as possible), remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and bring your heat up to medium. Throw in the chopped onions and cook until tender and soft (5-6 minutes). Pour in your wine. Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc would be perfect. Let the wine deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom and edges of your skillet as you go. These are goodies you definitely want in your sauce. Sun-dried tomatoes go in next for another 2-3 minutes. I feel like there is controversy over sun-dried tomatoes and I just don't get it. I LOVE them, so they are going in!

Somewhere along the way it's a good idea to get a large pot of generously salted water brought to a boil. A major part of cooking, and cooking well, is actually timing. You want everything to come together around the same time so your meal is served when it has all just finished, at it's freshest and hottest. This absolutely takes practice. I always come to a place in my cooking where it feels like a "mad rush" and everything at once needs my attention. Just ride that wave to the end and your meal will turn out.

Back to the sauce. Bring your heat back down to medium-low and pour in the half and half and bring to a simmer. Add in the shredded parmesan. Once the cheese is melted into the sauce, toss the cooked shrimp back into the skillet (aren't you glad you used your big one)? Stir it to evenly distribute and coat the shrimp adding salt and pepper to taste. Final two minutes - add one to two handfuls of baby spinach and cook until it wilts and is soft. Hopefully you are ready to drain the water from your pasta because this is done and ready to serve! Serve up the pappardelle pasta and scoop generous amounts of the tuscan shrimp over top or perhaps consider adding the pasta to the sauce to coat if you have the room. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and dig in! I served this up with a side of asparagus.

Full recipe page here.