I was apparently traumatized by the Enchilada Incident, because I haven't cooked a meal since! We've either been eating burgers by the pool or rooting around for peanut butter and jelly. Now, however, I've refocused on cooking. We are heading out on vacation in 9 short days (not that I'm counting...), so I have temporarily abandoned meal planning. Instead, I am trying to use up all the odds and ends in our freezers and pantry, so that I can start fresh when we get home.
Cleaning out the freezers and pantry is one of those endeavors that always starts off well, when you're relatively well-stocked, and ends with you trying to make a meal out of pepper jelly, canned tuna, and unidentifiable cheese ends. Happily, we're at the beginning of the clean out, and real food is still on hand. I have shrimp in the freezer, linguine in the pantry, and lemons in the fridge, so tonight is...you guessed it...Linguine with Shrimp Scampi (from Ina Garten). This is a new recipe for me, but I've included notes from a couple people who have made it before.
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined (editorial note: get wild shrimp!)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) (editorial note: 2 people have told me this makes the dish overall too lemon-y. I'm trying it tonight with half this amount)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Directions:
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. (Editorial note: my husband thinks this is not quite enough time to cook shrimp if you have the big fat ones, and all the wild Georgia shrimp are big and fat right now, like little mini-lobsters. I'll cook them for more like 6-7 minutes, and you should too). Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.
Happy eating!
