Shrimp Scampi Pasta
January 17, 2008
On most days, whether it’s work, play, relationships (ahem) or even dinner, I really don’t know what I’m doing. Sure, there’s this vague sense of routine that probably makes me seem rather capable, but let’s face it: I’m just bumbling through.
So when I pulled out the pasta machine on Saturday afternoon, I thought, “why not invite some people over. I’ll make homemade pasta!” Thankfully these were the kinds of friends who didn’t seem to mind that from the minute I started mixing the dough, the dinner was bound to be questionable. And thankfully dinner was late and there was enough to drink that dinner maybe even seemed pretty good.
(I call this the “Stubs effect”—you know how when you go to Stubs – in Battle Lake—for dinner and you have to wait 3 hours to get seated in the dining room because there are 100 people stuffed in the bar who got there before you and the bartender starts whipping out those margaritas? That might explain why I’ve never had a bad meal there.)
Anyway, there are a number of different pasta dough recipes floating around, and so from the beginning I was overwhelmed. How do I know which one to choose? Alice Waters says flour, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks. Betty Crocker says add oil. Martha Stewart has all sorts of different recipes based on whether you want roasted red pepper or spinach pasta.
So I went with the recipe on the pasta machine’s instruction booklet. And I think my fatal mistake was that I doubled the recipe. To much egg white maybe? So pick your own recipe from all the differing ones (and I hope you find a good one). And whether it turns out or not…it’s still fun once you get the dough cranking through the machine.
We ended up making a shrimp scampi over linguini, and I also tried out the ravioli maker, but that batch was really chewy. The linguini itself was okay, if not a little too thick. It turned out more like an egg noodle. The scampi recipe was delicious, however, and I would definitely make it again. The dish was garlicky and buttery with just a hint of lemon and white wine to accent the flavors. Now I just need to master the dough…
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled and pushed through a garlic press
½ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
Juice of a lemon
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
5 T. unsalted butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Linguini or cappelini
Heat oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat, then sauté shrimp until just cooked through (a few minutes, depending on size of shrimp), and transfer shrimp to a large bowl. Add garlic to oil remaining in the skillet, along with the red pepper flakes, wine, and salt & pepper, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, 1 minute or so. Add butter, wine and lemon, stir until butter is melted, then add shrimp, tossing to coat. Remove skillet from heat.
Cook pasta of choice (homemade or otherwise) in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Toss pasta with shrimp mixture and parsley in a large bowl, adding some of reserved cooking water if necessary to keep moist.
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