Upscale but easy
Let’s go savory, a little upscale, and cook with some wine. Y’all know you have wine right now. Especially if your kids are locked up with you. Don’t be intimidated. This is truly easy. It’s also an easy one to double and add a little of your own flair to.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup White Wine (more on my preference below)
Salt, Pepper, and Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Half Lemon, Juiced
1/2 Cup Pasta Water
2 Pounds Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I use the large size shrimp)
Additional ingredients: Pasta of your choice
Directions
Melt butter and EVOO over medium heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. You don’t want it to brown, just sweat and release the aromatics of the garlic.
Add wine and spices and bring to a simmer. Reduce this mixture to half, then add the pasta water and allow to thicken.
Add shrimp and cook 2-4 minutes, until they turn a nice orange-pink color. Shrimp should be tender and succulent. If they start getting hard, you’ve overcooked them.
Pour the mixture over your prepared pasta, mix, and enjoy.
Tips
Wine choice - Any white wine will do, just avoid the sweet wines like Moscato. I have found my preference in this recipe to be a nice Pinot Grigio. Most of the Pino Grigio in the stores are semi-dry, with a light hint of fruitiness. You can get your hands on some Pinos that are not oak-aged, and they will be much more dry, harsh, and minerally. They’re a bit much for this recipe, in my opinion, but you probably aren’t going to see those bottles at Walmart. My favorite Pinot is the Member’s Mark brand from Sam’s Club. Good stuff. In other words, a subtle white.
Add a little more spice and herb if you want. Make it your own. If you have a favorite Italian blend, use it. I have a Tuscan Garlic blend that will get liberally doused every time. Just an extra kick of flavor. Think it needs a little more acidity? Squeeze a little more lemon. I encourage you to go out of the box. Taste as you go. Just don’t put cinnamon or something like that on it. That’s so far out of the box, you’ve gone to another neighborhood.
If you’re cooking this stuff and you feel like there just isn’t enough sauce, add a tiny bit more wine or pasta water. Start with the wine. Small amounts. Balance. All about the balance.
Choosing your pasta - I like a nice, wide pasta that the sauce can cling to, like a bucatini or fettuccini. Sprials are probably not the answer because it will cause unevenness in the cling of the sauce in the swirls and you will get raw pasta flavor with bursts of sauce. You want the sauce to coat the noodle.
Why am I putting pasta water in it? It thickens and extends the sauce and helps it all cling to the noodles. It’s like an emulsifier. Trust me. I was skeptical at first, too, until Bobby Flay convinced me I needed to try it. I wish that had been in person, but alas...
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