Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp

Tags

lemon, mascarpone, pasta, shrimp

I’m thinking it’s been a while since I posted a pasta recipe… the horror! Hehe. Yes, I have an addiction. It’s almost as bad as my chocolate addiction. 🙂 In my defense, it doesn’t help that my husband always wants pasta. When given dinner options, he’ll always choose the dish with pasta in it! Don’t worry, I’m not complaining!I already have lemon pasta dishes, such as Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Lemon and Orecchiette with Shrimp, Arugula, and Grape Tomatoes, but having more delicious lemony and pasta-y recipes is never a bad thing in my book. This specific recipe has a special Italian flair due to the addition of mascarpone, which is an Italian cream cheese (hence, awesomeness, since it’s cream cheese and Italian). The pasta is creamy and delicious, with a subtle kick from the red pepper flakes. It’s a perfect dish for spring!One Year Ago: Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp

1 pound dried linguine
1½ teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon, about ⅓ cup
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon slices, for serving, optional

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry and toss with half the lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously, until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook about 90 seconds on one side. Flip the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and add the white wine and half the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook about 1 minute. Add the mascarpone, reserved pasta water, and linguine; toss to coat. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is well coated and the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately, with lemon slices if desired.

Source: Adapted from Pink Parsley

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Creamy Clam Linguine

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clams, cream, pasta, seafood, wine

Everyone has their go-to meals. Fortunately for me, I found this wonderful recipe and it quickly became a regular on our menu. While having fresh clams with linguine is always wonderful, we don’t always have that luxury due to prices and availability. That’s where canned clams come in. They’re great since I can always have them on-hand, allowing for a quick meal without having to run to the grocery store. Always a plus! It’s warm and comforting during the winter, while being a lighter pasta dish that would be wonderful in the summer months.Creamy Clam Linguine

16 ounces linguine pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, juices from 2 cans reserved
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup whipping cream or half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded for serving
Parsley, fresh or dried, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions until al dente; drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and butter until the butter is completely melted. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved clam juice and wine to the pan, bring to a simmer, and reduce by about half. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the clams and cream. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Add prepared pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

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garlic, pasta, shrimp, spicy, tomato

I’ve been making this dish for a few years now, but I wasn’t using this recipe. The one I was using was from Giada (love her food!) and had more onion and less tomato. It was good, so I kept making it, but it just wasn’t entirely what I thought it should be. When I came across this recipe, it was more of what I had in mind. After a few tweaks I carried over from the other recipe, it was perfect!

Fra Diavolo means brother devil… I’m going to assume because it’s devilishly spicy? Hehe. It has kick to it, which you can reduce or increase to your liking. I love it over linguine, but you use your choice of pasta, or even use it as a dip. So if you feel like something a little spicy to warm yourself, make sure you give this delicious shrimp a try!Shrimp Fra Diavolo

1 pound dried pasta
1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, divided
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated (for garnish)

In a small bowl, season shrimp with salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp and saute for one minute, then flip shrimp and saute until the shrimp is cooked and no longer translucent; using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from skillet and set aside.

Add the onions to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and saute for one minute, or until fragrant. Add wine to deglaze pan, then add tomatoes, oregano, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, and let sauce simmer and reduce for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is your desired thickness. Return shrimp to the skillet along with the parsley and basil, and toss to coat in the sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, then toss with the sauce and shrimp. Garnish with additional parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and Brie

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basil, cheese, dip, garlic, seafood, shrimp

You have to love when you find a recipe that you know will be good. Every single ingredient is delicious, and together they sound perfectly divine. When I came across this recipe, I knew it was love. After I was done drooling, I bookmarked it and thankfully I managed to not forget I had saved it, even a couple weeks later. So when I finally tried it, oh yum! Even my husband sounded enthusiastic about how good it was, and he’s normally one of those people who says “good” all doubtful sounding so it’s hard to tell if he’s actually pleased with the food or not.This makes a great light dinner, or a tasty appetizer, and is so easy to make! Everything pretty much goes under the broiler for a little bit and it’s all done. The end result is delicious shrimp with herbs, tomatoes and melted cheese, along with a buttery wine broth perfect for dipping bread.Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and Brie

1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup dry white wine
4 to 5-ounces soft brie cheese, cut into chunks with rind removed
¼ cup basil, some chopped and some left whole, divided
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Crusty bread for serving

Preheat broiler of your oven

Spray a broiler-safe baking dish with non-stick spray.  Make sure shrimp are completely dry and season liberally with salt and pepper then add to the dish, laying them flat and in a single layer. Scatter tomatoes, butter chunks, garlic and some parsley and basil (reserving some for garnish); add wine. Place dish directly under the broiler and broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp appear to be pink in color. Remove dish from oven and sprinkle cheese chunks over top. Place back in the oven and broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool, then sprinkle additional basil and fresh parsley on top. Serve while still warm with crusty bread for dipping.

Source: Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

Tags

garlic, grill, lemon, shrimp, skewer

When I think of summer, I think of hot days spent with friends and family, barbecuing in the backyard or in a park. And even though school is starting up again soon for most kids, there’s still time to get out and have some fun in the sun! These shrimp are great to bring along for parties in the park, or for an outdoor family dinner. They are super fast to cook, and can be prepared ahead of time so all that’s left is throwing them on the grill.These shrimp have a secret to them… they’re cured in salt and sugar to help tenderize them and to add extra flavor. They also have a fun-factor to them: skewers! I love eating food off of skewers! First of all, skewers automatically make any food into finger foods, in my mind at least. They also provide a unique presentation, and an ease for cooking small bits like shrimp or chunks of meat. And, at the end of the night, when all of the skewers are empty, you can set a bad example and have skewer-fights! Sorry, my mind has a tendency to wander to that of a child sometimes. But skewer-fights aside, try these shrimp!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 pounds shrimp (12 to 15 shrimp per pound)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (from about 1 lemon)
3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, and shrimp; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 45 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse shrimp well and drain; rinse and dry bowl, and add shrimp back to bowl. Add olive oil, parsley, lemon peel, garlic, and pepper. Mix to coat. Thread shrimp on metal or soaked wooden skewers, running skewer through the body once near the tail and once near the head end of each shrimp so it looks like the letter C.

Lay shrimp skewers on an oiled barbecue grill over high heat; close lid. Cook, turning once after 2 to 3 minutes, and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are bright pink and opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut into shrimp if needed). Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over shrimp.

Note: The shrimp can assembled on the skewers up to 1 day in advance; cover and chill.

Source: Slightly adapted from Sunset, July 2005