Shrimp Scampi Pasta

When I first started dating my husband, I did not live in the most comfortable setting. I lived with a roommate who did not seem to like me very much so I spent most of my time hiding in my room or simply being away. This made making homemade meals truly difficult. I spent many nights at friends’ houses and in the local drive thru. That is when Kiera got married and asked me to housesit while she was off on her honeymoon, I accepted with open arms. This was going to be a vacation for me too!

Being in a new relationship is so much fun! I like to call this phase the “love bubble”. Well I was in my own little love bubble and hated that I could not wow my new boyfriend with my cooking skills. They say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Now that I would have Kiera’s house all to myself, I could use this to my advantage and cook some glorious meals for us to share.

I scoured the Internet for some interesting recipes and came across a recipe for shrimp scampi pasta on the Food Network site. It looked fairly easy, seemed fancy, and one of the ingredients was wine. Sold! This is what I would make!

Fast-forward almost nine years later and you will find me making this meal for Christmas Eve. Being Italian, we like to make seafood on Christmas Eve so keeping with my traditions; I now make this yummy and indulgent meal on that night. It is also a nice treat for Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and any other special occasion. It is also easy and quick enough for any day of the week but I like to save a few special meals for special occasions.

First, it tastes so great with fresh shrimp but I have to get the already cooked kind. I just cannot get myself to clean poop shoots after Kiera and I went to Mexico and all the guys left us to clean several pounds of shrimp. After all of that work, we could not even stomach the wonderful meal that we made. Now, I buy the already cooked and peeled shrimp in the frozen section. Feel free to buy the raw shrimp, they are tasty, but do not say I did not warn you about the cleaning. If it doesn’t bother you, go for it! Just make sure to cook them a little longer than listed in the recipe.

You will want to start your pasta water first. Fill up your stockpot with warm water and lots and lots of salt. You truly cannot salt your water enough so do not worry about how much. While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can start preparing your ingredients. You will need 4 tablespoons of butter, a lemon, ½ a cup of white wine, olive oil, garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes. Doesn’t it already sound amazing!

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, and a teaspoon of minced garlic to the pan and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I love spice so I add a few pinches but it is entirely up to you and your spice tolerance.

Now you will want to warm up your shrimp. Since your shrimp are already cooked, you will just want to stir them around until they are warmed up, about a minute or so. Remove them from the pan and set aside. Keep checking your pasta until it is aldente. Once it is done, turn the heat off.

Now add the wine, the rest of the butter, another two tablespoons of olive oil and juice from one lemon. Once the butter is melted and the sauce is boiling, add in the cooked shrimp. Now you can add your pasta to the pot. I just use tongs to grab the pasta straight from the stockpot. Add fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve with salad and garlic bread. Yummy!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

16 oz Linguini (cook according to package)

¾ - 1lb Shrimp, cooked

½ cup dry White Wine

1 Lemon

4 TBLS Butter

4 TBLES Olive Oil

1 tsp Garlic, minced

¼ cup Parsley, fresh and minced

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Red Pepper Flakes

Boil pasta according to package directions. Heat a large skillet of Medium heat. Melt half of the butter and add half of the olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir in shrimp until warm about 1 minute. Remove shrimp and set aside. Add wine, lemon juice, and the rest of the butter and olive oil. Bring to a boil. Put shrimp back in the pan. Add cooked pasta, parsley, and cheese. Toss everything together and serve.

#recipe #Dinner #italian #easy