Scampi anyone?

Well, hello there! It's been a while since I've made a dish using shrimp (with the exception of the paella a while back) because I cooked so much shrimp in the summer of 2007, my husband got totally sick of it and asked that I not make anything with shrimp for a while. I obliged, but since it's been a while, I figured I'd start sneaking it back into our kitchen here and there.

I don't know about you, but I much prefer my shrimp un-breaded and not deep fried. That's unlike most people, who the only way they'll eat shrimp (or any kind of seafood for that matter) is if it's piping hot from Long John Silver's fryer and into their dinner baskets. No, thank you!

I've been craving shrimp scampi for about a week now (those darn Red Lobster commercials! we don't even have a Red Lobster here!), and seeing as how it's Friday night (and the night before my birthday) I'd give it a go. But, I didn't want your traditional scampi, laden with butter and no veggies in sight. So, I threw in a few of my favorites that I love and know would freshen up the dish. The results were delicious, and I think it has everything to do with the fact that I made sure I used a splash of the wine I just bought for the sauce.

Mehgan's Shrimp Scampi-

Ingredients:

-1 lb fresh or frozen, uncooked and deveined shrimp (if frozen, make sure you thaw them out first).

-3 to 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 white onion, chopped

-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

-1/4 cup dry white wine

-a pinch of salt and pepper

-two roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4" pieces

-a few sprigs of parsley or cilantro (depending on what you like, I happen to be a big cilantro fan)

-grated parmesan cheese

-2 servings cooked pasta (angel hair pasta is popular, but I used some stuff I got as a gift that was made from dried mushrooms)

Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic and bell pepper. Once the onion starts to get transparent, slowly add the wine. Let that cook down for about five minutes, then add the shrimp and seasonings. As soon as the shrimp start to get a bit pink, turn off the burner and cover (the shrimp will continue to cook even though the burner is off. This keeps them from getting rubbery). Pour the sampi over the pasta and garnish with tomatoes, parmesan cheese and parsley/cilantro.

I've seen folks cook their tomatoes for this dish, but I don't like to. I like the fresh pop of flavor they add. I served this with a simple green salad with feta cheese and homemade Italian dressing. It was fabulous! And not to mention super easy, too. Yummy! See you all next time.

Cheers!

~Mehgan~