shrimp scampi pasta

Don’t be like me, kids. Look before you leap. Think about the cooking process start to finish, and take appropriate steps to ensure that everything comes together at the right times.

Do not, for example, allow the butter to get too brown before you add the onions and garlic. It would also be advisable to start a pot of water boiling before you heat the oil at all; while you wait for the water to boil so you can prepare pasta, your onions and garlic will become darker in color than you would prefer. It is also advisable not to add the shrimp to the hot pan until the pasta is close to done. If you are like me, and you don’t even start a pot of water before your shrimp are perfectly opaque, then you will become paranoid about the shrimp overcooking and becoming rubbery.

Even if you do all of these things, however (brown the butter, burn the garlic, overcook the shrimp, forget to season until the last moment, and undercook ever-so-slightly the pasta), this dish will still be edible. The shrimp were much more forgiving than I expected them to be (taking them off the heat as soon as I realized my timing errors ensured that they didn’t continue cooking for too long), and the brightness of fresh parsley surprisingly covers a multitude of sins. Despite the near-horrific experience I had with this dish, I still can’t wait to make it again. With the slightest amount of forethought, this dish is miraculously simple enough for a weeknight meal, while still fancy enough for date night.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Serves 2
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Note: The Pioneer Woman uses a dash or two of Tobasco sauce to flavor this dish. I went a little too light on the sauce and didn’t get as much spice as I wanted, so I would go heavier next time. Switching to red chili flakes would also spice things up.
If using frozen shrimp, use raw shrimp. Do not buy cooked frozen shrimp. Ever. Trust me. If using raw shrimp or frozen shrimp in their shells, make sure they are shelled, cleaned, and deveined before cooking.

You will need:
1/2 lb. thin pasta, such as angel hair
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
~16 medium-sized shrimp (see note)
Dash Tobasco sauce (see note)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
Shredded parmesan cheese, to taste

Start a pot of water boiling. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt oil and butter together in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until fragrant and onions are tender. Add shrimp, Tobasco sauce, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Cook about 1 minute on one side, then turn shrimp and cook until they look like tiny C’s. (If they turn to O’s, you have overcooked them, but do not despair. They are probably fine, and you’ll do better next time.)

Add cooked pasta to skillet. Toss, coating pasta with the delicious butter sauce. Add parsley and toss. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese, and garnish with an extra lemon wedge if desired.

spring risotto with lemon

The three weeks of spring are nearly over.

In Texas, three weeks is about all we get. Temperature climb from the 50s to the 90s in a one-month period; the transition from winter to summer is abrupt and cruel. It’s only for a few days that we can run around comfortably in jeans and t-shirts. Soon, the jeans will be too warm and will give way to shorts and skirts; a few weeks ago, one needed a jacket to maintain an ambient body temperature.

Still, to celebrate this fleeting spring, I offer you risotto. While the method I recommend does require a little “slaving over a hot stove,” temperatures are cool enough and the veggies are bright enough that that shouldn’t bother you too much. This dish, while a little time-consuming, is actually very simple to make and difficult to mess up. The spring vegetables add fun color to what can otherwise be a disturbingly beige dish, and the lemon tastes so fresh that you wonder why you don’t slave over a hot stove to make this every day.

A note: Do you know the proper way to store asparagus? I did not, and lamented that my asparagus in the crisper would always turn woody and tough as soon as I bought it. I learned, though, that asparagus should be stored like cut flowers: in a glass of water, with the stems cut every day or so. This keeps the asparagus fresh. I keep it on the counter, but storing it in the fridge works fine, too.

Spring Risotto with Lemon
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 2

You will need:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. risotto or arborio rice
Approximately 4 cups chicken broth (you may substitute some of this with water, wine, or beer)
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2” lengths
Juice of 1 lemon
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat the broth in a saucepan until it simmers, but do not burn.

Heat the oil in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and saute until tender, about ten minutes (but do not burn). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the edges of the grains are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread the asparagus lengths onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 400 for about 15 minutes. Set aside.

If using, add up to 1 cup wine or beer. Stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed.

Add broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring until the liquid is absorbed and adding more liquid. Repeat this process for about half an hour, tasting for doneness. (The rice should be al dente.) Add the peas and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and the lemon and stir. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve immediately, topped with parmesan cheese. Happy Spring.

Photo by geishaboy500, available under a Creative Commons Attribution License.