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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Shrimp in Savory Sauce with Spaghetti



This recipe sounded good, especially since we already had everything to make it but cornstarch.  Easy enough to round that up, so the recipe went into the queue.  I did modify the original recipe a bit by cutting out the scallops and increasing the amount of shrimp and omitting the capers entirely.

Shrimp in Savory Sauce with Spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
10 oz. shelled, deveined uncooked medium shrimp
2/3 c Noilly Prat
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 to 6 drops hot pepper sauce, if desired
1 c loosely packed chopped Italian parsley
1 lb thin spaghetti

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place oil and garlic in large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring constantly. Press down on garlic to release juices; discard garlic.

Add shrimp; increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are opaque. Place shrimp on plate.


In small bowl, whisk together wine, lemon juice and cornstarch. Pour into skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is amber colored and has consistency of thin cream. Stir in salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce.


Return shrimp to skillet with parsley; toss with pasta to combine.



This was pretty good, though the Noilly Prat flavor was a little too much.  Maybe next time, I'll do a 50:50 Noilly Prat:chicken stock blend to keep some of the flavor but mellow it a little bit.  When I prepared this, I should have returned the shrimp to the skillet and added the parsley immediately after the salt and peppers were added.  I had dawdled a minute or so, marveling at cornstarch's capacity as a thickening agent, allowing the sauce to reduce too much, yielding a slightly dry pasta dish.  You may consider reserving some of the pasta cooking water just in case that happens to you.  The water would be a quick fix.
 
And this recipe goes quick, so be sure you practice mise en place before you get it going.
 
Cost:
  • garlic: $0.15
  • shrimp: $3.50
  • Noilly Prat: $0.52
  • cornstarch: $0.01
  • Italian parsley: 0.33
Total: $4.51 or $1.13 for each of four servings.

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