Thursday, March 10, 2011

Linguine With Shrimp Scampi

Among the meal plans for last week was a dish called Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. This lovely meal comes from the Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook, a present given to me from my good friend Stephanie Haddix for our wedding. I have to be honest when I mention this cookbook. I was very very intimidated by the recipes when I first flipped through the pages of Brioche Croutons, Tuna Tartare, and Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart.

As a 23 year old newlywed, I had no idea how to zest a lemon or peel and de-vein shrimp. So....Ina Garten and her cookbook sat on the shelf for a few years. Its amazing that 2 more years of marriage and cooking experience made me flip through those pages again and think, "What was I afraid of?" Now, I have most of the staples the recipes call for and I understand (or at least think I do) how to use most of the kitchen utensils I own. Don't ask Ryan how I peel a potato though- that's another story. : )

As I boiled a pot of salted water, I added in some vegetable oil to make sure the pasta didn't stick together, (another cooking trick I've learned) and I continued with the recipe. In case you'd like to try here it is!

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi (serves 6)
- I made half of this recipe for just the two of us

What you Need:
Vegetable Oil
Kosher Salt
1 1/2 lbs. of linguine
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)- I buy the pre-made chopped stuff, SO much easier!
2 pounds large shrimp (about 32 shrimp), peeled and de-veined
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Grated zest of a lemon
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7-10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12 inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve!

Enjoy- I know we did!!!
and here is how ours turned out! Not bad if I do say so myself.


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