Shrimp Scampi, Baby Broccoli, Angel Hair

Aromatic greens flavored with shallot and garlic, tossed with angel hair pasta and shrimp, are bound together with a light wine glaze to make a restaurant quality entée at home. This would make a fine romantic Valentine's day dinner.

1/2 lb angel hair pasta

2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil

12 oz baby broccoli (or broccoli rabé), coarsely chopped

1 shallot, peeled and finely minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional), or chicken broth

2 Tbsp butter

Dash crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh parsley for garnish.

Heat a pot of salted water to boiling for the pasta. Add the pasta and stir well. Cook pasta until just before al dente, stirring every once in a while. Reserve a cup of cooking water before draining.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet until frothy. Add the shallot and cook about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for about 3-5 minutes, tossing every once in a while. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Remove broccoli mixture to a bowl.

Reheat the pan over medium-high heat and add the wine or broth. Bring to a gentle boil and allow to reduce to about half the volume, about 1-2 minutes. Add the butter, pepper flakes, and shrimp. Cook about a minute, stirring. Return the broccoli to the pan and heat through.

Add drained pasta and mix well to finish cooking the pasta. Add enough cooking water to form a glazed sauce. Tip pasta into serving bowl, or directly onto plates. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 2.

Cook's Notes: I like to cut the shrimp along the waist 1/3 down from the thickest end to present more bite-sized pieces. I used left-over broccoli, but was running low on broccoli so I augmented with baby spinach leaves which worked out very well.

Comments

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded 2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet. Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet. Flip to brown second side. Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Baked Grouper with Mushroom Wine Sauce

Fresh fish baked in a creamy mushroom sauce is always a rich reward after a hard day's work. 3/4 lb grouper (or other favorite white fish) cut into 2 portions Sauce: 2 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup onion, very finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced through a press 1/3 cup pale dry sherry or dry white wine 1/3 cup half and half or cream 1 Tbsp corn starch 1 4-oz can mushrooms, drained and liquid reserved Preheat oven to 375F. Sauté the onions in the butter, in a sauce pan for about 8-10 minutes, until slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the sherry and half and half, and bring to a gentle boil. Whisk together the mushroom liquid with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk this mixture into the boiling sauce until thickened. Add mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust thickness with wine, water or chicken broth if necessary, or allow sauce to thicken more by reducing slightly. Lay...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog