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~

The Good Stuff

I'm so sorry! I've been a BAD blogger!! It's been really crazy-busy at work, and I felt super-guilty about that, but here I am! I'm back!

Anyway, it's been a bit warm lately, and we don't have A/C. Our version of A/C is opening two windows on opposite sides of the house, turning the ceiling fan on and letting the sprinkler run. It actually kinda works! So, since it's been warm, I haven't really been cooking all that much, and I was craving something on the lighter side. I had seen an episode of Everyday Italian on the Food Network where Giada was making dishes in order to get bikini ready. One of her recipes she featured was a whole-wheat linguine with garlic, green beans and tomatoes. Living with the men that I live with, I knew I needed something a bit heartier than that.

I decided to nix the green beans idea, since E and I had some in our lunches today and I didn't want a green bean overload, so I went with zucchini, squash and shrimp, and kept the tomatoes. And instead of linguine, I used fettucine. I also added mozzarella cheese, because... well, I love it! So, here's my adapted recipe.

Whole Wheat Fettucine with Shrimp, Zucchini and Squash

Ingredients:
-3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 medium zucchini, sliced bite-sized
-1 medium squash, sliced bite-sized
-1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined (I used a bag of prepared frozen shrimp)
-1/2 bag of whole wheat fettucine (I got mine from Trader Joe's for $1.99!)
-1/2 tomato, diced
-3/4 cup ricotta cheese
-1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: In a large pot, boil about 3 quarts of water. Add the pasta, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking (I've found that whole wheat pasta tends to take longer to cook). Set aside about 3 ladelfuls of the pasta water, and drain the rest of the noodles. In a small bowl, combine the two cheeses. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the garlic. Once the garlic starts to give off an aroma, add the zucchini and squash, cook until slightly tender. Add the pasta water (this is especially important as it will help create the sauce). Once the water starts to simmer, add the cheese mixture and stir until well combined. Add the shrimp and tomatoes, then allow to heat over, about 5 minutes. You don't want to heat it too long, or the shrimp will get gummy, and that's terrible! After that, you're ready for dinner!

My thoughts: This was pretty hearty, it filled me up. What you see here is my plate, and I wasn't able to finish all of it. That's probably due in part to the fact that I also had some salad along with it, but I also don't think I could have finished all of it. It makes for really good leftovers, too, since storing it gives it time for all the flavors to really mix well.

Thanks for stopping by! And sorry I've been so scarce lately, but rest assured that I have read everyone's comments and greatly appreciate each and every one of them. Oh, and don't forget, Royal Foodie Joust is coming up!!

~Mehgan~