Touch of Heat Shrimp Pasta

I've been traveling for what feels like a month straight and sorry to say the blog has been neglected. So now I am back in town (for a few days) and we are back to the stove. This is a variation of Gordan Ramsey's Lobster Spaghetti. (except without lobster or spaghetti)  Lobster is too friggin expensive...spaghetti is boring..

1 Lbs Shrimp, peeled, tailed, deveined
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Shallot, diced
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 C White Wine
1 Tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 C basic tomato sauce, Marinara
1/2 Lbs Bucatini pasta
1/2 Cup chopped basil

Bring large pot of water to boil for the bucatini. Cook until done.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add Olive Oil. Add Shallots and sautee 2 mins (until soft). Add garlic, sautee 1 min until fragrant. Add tomatoes. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add white wine and reduce to 1/4th. Add crushed red pepper and stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat to med and let simmer 2 mins. Add the shrimp and cook 4 mins. Add pasta and toss to coat, cooking 1 min. Ensure shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat, add basil and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately...Enjoy!

Shrimp and Udon..quick n easy

So we had left over udon noodles in the cupboard, my directions were "grab some veggies and shrimp or scallops" I was getting home late last night so we wanted something quick. This is basically a stir fry, sort of..I added broth cause broth just makes things better :) The nice thing about dishes like these is you can just throw just about anything together, add some soy sauce and chicken stock and your there.

1 Lbs White Shrimp, peeled, deveined

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Green Pepper, julienne (match sticks)

3 Carrots, julienne

1 Jalapeño Pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely sliced

2 C Snow Peas

1 C Chicken Broth

1/4 C Soy Sauce

1 Tsp powdered ginger

Salt and Pepper

9 oz Dry Wheat Udon Noodles

Heat a large skillet over med-high. Add oil and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cook 1 min until fragrant. Add the Peppers, Carrots, and Snow peas, season with salt and pepper than Saute 5 mins. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, and ginger. Bring to a simmer. Taste. Season as needed. Simmer until vegies are just soft on the outside and still crunchy on the inside. Add the shrimp. Simmer 3 mins until shrimp is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Shrimp is still on sale..scampi it is!

The Monday after Halloween weekend should be a holiday..between too much candy and many "spirits" it just should, thats all I'm sayin. So we had a pound of shrimp we picked up this weekend on sale and we were thinking quick and easy. It doesn't get much easier then good old shrimp scampi; some garlic, some lemons, a few shrimpies, toss it with linguine and Boom! you have dinner...


1/2 Box of linguine
1 Lbs peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Tbls Butter
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp Crushed red pepper
1/4 White Wine
1/4 C Lemon Juice
1/4 C Chopped parsley
Lemon slices and lemon zest

Clean the shrimp and set aside.

Boil the water for the pasta. Season the water with salt and then add the linguine (7-10 mins)

While the pasta is cooking heat a large skillet over med heat. Add the butter and the oil. When it begins to bubble add the garlic and saute for 1 -2 mins (fragrant not burnt). Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Add the crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp begins to turn pick add the white wine. Simmer down for a min then add the lemon juice. The shrimp should be just about cooked through and the pasta should be done. Drain the pasta then add to the skillet with the shrimp. Add the parsley and toss to combine coating the pasta. Dish out in bowls topping with lemon zest and a slice of lemon for garnish.

Enjoy!

Spicy Tomato Basil and Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash

Uncertain what we were in the mood for food-wise, we ventured to the local harris teeter to see what looked appetizing.  This methodology normally leads to us using the most in season/plentiful ingredients at the store, or it leads to us buying junk food just because we're hungry (win-win situation in my eyes).

The tomato sauce/spaghetti squash base from this recipe is out of one of my new favorite cookbooks "The Food and Wine-Lover's Diet" :)  Normally we pan sear some scallops to place atop the tomato sauce/spaghetti squash, however it's October in the Charleston area and thus shrimp is dirt cheap (aka cheaper than chicken breasts and much cheaper than scallops).  So in the spirit of leaving the grocery store with a few more dollars in our pocket and since pink is my favorite color (my neice has informed me that I may turn pink like a flamingo if i eat too much shrimp), we went with the shrimp instead.  Ryan also chose to cook the shrimp with the tomato base and to add some crushed red pepper cuz he knows i like it hott (insert cliche newlywed joke here).  This recipe is also, dare I mention, relatively healthy so you can eat seconds (or thirds in my case) without all the guilt :D 

3-4 Lbs Spaghetti Squash

2 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Yellow or Sweet Onion

4 cloves garlic (Finely Chopped)

6 Roma Tomatoes (seeded, diced)

1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 Cup White Wine (I used Pinot Gris)

1 1/2 Lbs 51-60 count shrimp (peeled, de-veined)

1/4 C Fresh Chopped Basil

Heat oven to 375. Pierce squash in several areas with a knife and place in baking dish. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Heat a large skillet over med-high. Add the olive oil and the the diced onions. Cook the onions down until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragment. Add the diced tomatoes and season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the crushed red pepper. (if you like it hot hook it up but I'd advise you to taste as it cooks, it will get hotter) Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 15 mins. Raise heat to med-high and add the wine. Let simmer for 1 minute then add the shrimp. Toss the shrimp until just cooked through, 3-4mins. Remove from heat.

Cut the squash in 1/2 and remove the seeds. Use a fork to tease out the stands of squash. Place squash in the center of the plate and top with Tomato and shrimp mixture. Garnish with fresh basil.

Enjoy!