Shrimp Alfredo

I was looking for a special dinner for a Sunday night, and I stumbled upon the most decadent pasta I have ever had -- shrimp alfredo. I usually don't gravitate towards cream sauces, favouring a lighter tomato sauce or even a white wine sauce, but this one seemed to be calling my name. 


Balanced out by the lightness of fresh pasta, this was delicious, but can only be served in small quantities due to the richness and definitely served with a salad with a simple vinaigrette dressing. If you're looking for a treat though, this is it and to top it off, it's pretty fast and easy. 


Ingredients

• fresh linguine pasta
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 4 tbsp onion,diced
• 4 tsp garlic, minced
• 30-40 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• fresh parsley and lemon for garnish

Directions

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente, drain
• Melt butter in a large saucepan. Sautee onion and garlic over medium heat until tender
• Add shrimp and saute over medium-high heat until shrimp turn pink
• Stir in half-and-half and parmesan stirring constantly until sauce thickens
• Toss in linguine and sprinkle with black pepper
• Garnish with parsley and lemon

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com 

Shrimp Scampi

On Sundays I like to spend time in the kitchen. It's an opportunity for me to unwind and relax and make a meal that will have a couple of portions left over for a relaxed dinner on Mondays.

I saw this recipe over at Annie's Eats and I immediately gravitated towards it because it had only a few simple ingredients and looked like a light summer supper. We don't eat a lot of fish at home but often have shrimp on hand and I really like how it was the star of this meal. I made the pasta from scratch and tossed it with this light butter-lemon sauce and it was a hit. Unfortunately, it was such a hit, that there weren't any leftovers!


Ingredients

• 3/4 lb. linguine (try to make homemade like this)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3-4 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. 
• Add the shrimp in an even layer and add salt and pepper. Once down side of shrimp turns pink, flip and cook second side evenly. 
• When shrimp is opaque, remove pan from heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.
• Drain pasta and add to the saute pan and toss to combine.
• Serve immediately.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Urban legend: Risotto is hard to make and those who dare to brave it will become slaves to their stove for hours to stand and stir.

I recently made risotto and when I told people I made it, the answer was always: "But isn't it hard to make? And doesn't it take hours?" No! It is not hard to make. And no! It did not take hours but a mere 35 minutes.

Before taking on this challenge, I did some reading, and I learned that unlike regular rice, risotto can absorb a lot of liquid and that you add about three to four times the amount of liquid to rice. But to make the risotto perfect and delicious, you need to add the liquid warmed in really small volumes, about 1/2 a cup at a time. Before you can add more, you need to wait for the previous liquid to be absorbed.

This was my first time making risotto and it turned out great, but it does require some patience and it's not a fix-it-and-forget-it -- you do need to be in the kitchen and able to stir every few minutes. But trust me, the result was worth it!

Ingredients

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 6 cloves of garlic (I like a lot of garlic!)
• about 20 shrimp
• 10 stalks of asparagus
• pepper to taste

Directions


In a pot, combine the chicken stock and water on medium heat. You want it to be warm when you add it to the risotto because it will absorb better. I used a ladle to transfer the liquid over to the risotto.


In a shallow but large pan, melt three teaspoons of butter on low to medium heat, add garlic and sautee the diced onion until soft.

Add the risotto and coat with the butter until it's "toasted," about three minutes.

Add the wine and stir until absorbed.

Increase heat slightly (I never went past medium) and add in broth-water mixture about a 1/2 cup at a time. Stir frequently until liquid is absorbed before adding more. This process should take about 30 minutes of stirring and adding liquid slowly.

In another pan, melt some more butter and add garlic. Sautee shrimps about 4 minutes until pink. Add chopped asparagus for the final few minutes to soften.

Cook rice until tender and mixture has a creamy consistency.

Add cream, parmesan and pepper and shrimp and asparagus. Stir until mixture is creamy, about 2-3 minutes.

Download a printable recipe for Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Creamy Shrimp Fettucine

Now that you know how to make pasta, here's a delicious and easy topping for it: Creamy Shrimp Fettucine.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• about 6 shrimps per person
• 3 tsp butter
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped (I have discovered pre-chopped garlic = way easier)
• one red pepper sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup cream

Directions:

• Heat the butter and oil over a medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Then add red pepper.

• Stir in tomato paste and wine, simmering for about 10 minutes
• Bring a large pot of water to boil and add pasta. Before draining, add about a 1/4 cup of pasta water to the pasta mixture
• Add shrimp to the sauce and raise the heat to medium-high, cooking until shrimp turn pink
• Reduce heat and stir in the cream, cooking for one minute until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste

• Add pasta to sauce and mix together
• Serve to hungry crowd!