This recipe is an adaption of the Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper. It uses her recipe as a base for the noodles and then adds a delicious shrimp mixture on the top. It is simple, rich and full of flavor and there are a million variations you can make, depending on what you have on hand.
The ingredients are simple and usually ones we have lying around, so this is a great dinner to throw together on those evenings when you just didn't make it to the store the kids are asking when dinner is. You will need some sort of pasta; I like to use fettuccine or linguine because the creamy sauce will really "stick:" to it. Also pull out Kosher salt, whole black peppercorns, a half a stick of butter, cream and a hunk of your favorite aged Italian cheese. I used Pecorino Romano because it is what was in the fridge, and because it has a wonderful salty flavor which is perfect for this dish. From the produce drawer, retrieve garlic, Italian parsley, lemon (glaringly absent from the picture above, but use your imagination) and a roasted red bell pepper. If you have a jar of the roasted peppers, you can use this, but if not, they are super easy, and fun, to do yourself. Here is a quick tutorial on roasting bell peppers if you need it and you missed it.
The last ingredient is shrimp. Take out the desired amount, usually about 1 lb and peel off the shell and tails.
Now let's get everything mise en place, pronounced miz ɑ̃ plas, or literally "putting in place" in French. I love that word. It is even better when you have a sous chef to assist, but I digress. Put 1 tablespoon of peppercorns in your mortar and pestle
and crush them until you have a nice consistency. I like lots of coarse bits.
Next take four garlic cloves, smash them by placing your knife over each of them and hitting it with the palm of your hand; remove the peels and mince.
Take the pretty red bell, julienne it into thin strips, rotate it 90 degrees and cut again into a small dice.
Take a handful of Italian parsley
and coarsely chop.
Cut your lemon in half so it is ready to be squeezed into the sauce.
Use a box grater to shred a big pile (about one generous cup) of your Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.
When your kids, who are now very hungry, start stealing it, grate some more...
Take the bottle of white wine that you opened when you started dinner and reserve 1/2 to 1 cups so that you have it when you need it.
Finally, take 1/2 stick of butter and divide it into 2 T, 1 T and 1 T pieces. Now, we are ready to start cooking! Fill a large saucepan with water, generously salt and get it boiling. When it is at a rolling boil, add 8 oz of pasta.
While the noodles are cooking, put a large saute pan on medium heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter.
As it is melting, you can throw the garlic on top of it and then add a dash of red pepper flakes.
Cook, stirring as needed, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Make sure not to scorch your garlic.
Then, add in the diced roasted red bell pepper and cook for about a minute.
When the garlic is nice and fragrant, pour in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Throw in the peeled shrimp, spread them thin and flip as soon as they start to get pink. You really don't want to overcook shrimp because they will get tough.
Add in another tablespoon of butter
Take most of the grated cheese and put it on top of the pasta, followed by 2 tablespoons of cream.
Add in enough of the reserved pasta water, stirring quickly to melt the cheese, to coat the pasta.
Add the cracked peppercorns and mix until combined.
And then put a generous serving on a plate.
Right before putting the shrimp mixture on top of the pasta, squeeze the lemon into the saute pan and stir to combine.
Serve the shrimp over the creamy fettuccine and top with a sprinkling of the remaining shredded cheese and parsley. I'm just now realizing that one of the hazards of posting the things I make is that 1. I'm always hungry and 2. I want to make this again tonight.
Creamy Fettuccine with Roasted Red Pepper and Spicy Shrimp
serves:2 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)
- 1 T whole black peppercorns, crushed
- 8 oz fettuccine or linguine
- Kosher salt
- 4 T butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t red pepper flakes
- 1 roasted red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 to 1 c dry white wine
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 c Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1 c Pecorino Romano, shredded
- 2 T heavy cream
- 1 lemon
Fill a large saucepan with water, generously salt and add pasta when it begins boiling. Continue to cook for 10 minutes, or as directed, until al dente.
While the noodles are cooking, put a large saute pan on medium heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the minced garlic with a dash of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring as needed, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the diced roasted red bell pepper and cook for another minute. Pour in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze. When the sauce is bubbly, add in the peeled shrimp, spreading them in a single layer and flipping as soon as they start to get pink. Finish the sauce by mixing in another tablespoon of butter and half of the chopped Italian parsley. Add more wine until the sauce is the desired consistency and turn the heat to low while you finish the pasta.
Using a glass measure, remove 2/3 to 1 cup of water from the pasta saucepan and then lightly drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the sauce pan; add in most of the grated cheese, the cream and the reserved pasta water, stirring quickly to melt the cheese and coat the pasta. Add the cracked peppercorns and mix until combined.
Place a generous serving of pasta on a plate. Squeeze the lemon into the shrimp mixture, stirring to combine. Serve the shrimp over the creamy fettuccine and top with a sprinkling of the remaining shredded cheese and parsley.
This dish looks delish! I've pinned it and can't wait to try it!
ReplyDelete