Shrimp Scampi Pasta

 Today is Sunday.

Tonight I was ZONKED due to the fact that I went sledding with my kids for OVER one hour today, hung up soggy coats and gloves for the next hour, and wiped little puddles of water off my floor for the next 17 hours. All worth it to hear the little squeals of joy escaping from their rosy-cheeked faces as we whizzed down the hill together. And then to be able to let them watch TV for the rest of the day without even feeling bad about it.

Back to my exhaustion. I was exhausted! So I wanted just a quickie Sunday pasta dinner. What I made took almost no time at all. Shrimp defrost so fast. Run some cold water on them and they are ready to go. They cook even faster - just two minutes here. The angel hair cooks in three minutes. The sauce took maybe five minutes. I feel bad even making it sound like I did something fancy because of the shrimp. It took me longer to beg someone to set the table than it did to make the dinner.

This one comes from epicurious.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Ingredients 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb. peeled and deveined large raw shrimp OK I'll let you in on the dark side of having foodie children. You have to fight them for the shrimp! In the end I got six shrimp. A pound was not enough for us. Next time I would try a pound and a half and increase everything by 50%. Try doing that math. Not doing it for you, you lazy millennials.

4 large garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 tsp. dried hot red-pepper flakes This provided just a nice touch of heat, felt on the lips, like a kiss from a sultry lover. Truth be told, I would have preferred even more heat. Just seeing if you're listening.

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

5 T. unsalted butter

3/4 lb. capellini (angel hair pasta) UGH I only had whole wheat pasta! Like a kiss from a sultry lover who keeps his eyes open when he kisses. Wah waaaaah.

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

I added 3 tomatoes. Just cuz I had them and everyone looked like they needed lycopene.

Instructions

1) Set a pot of salted water to boil. Prepare all ingredients for cooking. High heat and quick cook times means it's a good idea to have everything chopped and measured before you begin to cook. As you see below, I did not have my wine measured, and I fumbled around getting it into the pan. See! Fumbling isn't cute.

2) Heat oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté shrimp for one minute. Turn over shrimp and sauté for another minute. Do not over-cook. But also don't under-cook. Such a delicate balance between raw shrimp and rubber shrimp. Stick to two minutes, kids.  Remove shrimp to a bowl.

3) Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook over high heat for one minute, stirring.

I wish this was a scratch 'n' sniff.

4) Add butter to skillet and stir until melted. Add shrimp back in, and tomatoes if using. Remove from heat.

5) Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on the box. Do not over-cook. This recipe is really bossy about over-cooking. Reserve one cup of cooking liquid before draining. Drain and add pasta to shrimp sauce. Add in parsley and stir. Drizzle some of the cooking water on top if moisture is needed. We topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. That's all folks. Not a vegetable in sight...too tired from one hour of sledding to make a salad. Lycopene for the win.

 

 

Remember two weeks ago when I told you to keep your herbs in an adorable mason jar with water like a little vase? Look how much better the ones in the jar (right) held up! The ones from my vegetable crisper were a limp mess. The ones on the right provided adorable greenery for my table, and stayed fresh for over two weeks.