Shrimp Pasta With Olive Oil and Wine

 

Pasta, pasta, pasta. I think pasta is very versatile. You can make many different styles with it and it never goes out of style. There is nothing better than a good plate of well-seasoned pasta. Hence well-seasoned, if not, you will ruin my appetite.

But this post is not about my appetite, it is about making your life easier and tastier. Many dishes served at restaurants can not be made to order. It takes time to prepare food and it wouldn’t be realistic and smart to do otherwise. So if a restaurant does it, why can’t you do it at home? You can have a restaurant quality meal but for one/third of the price.

 

Many restaurants use herbs to flavor their olive oils and have them available in every table. You can use anything like garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano and many more.

The oil does the job of a preservative.

 

I am a firm believer there is nothing better than fresh herbs, but if you need to make dinner after you come home from work, it wouldn’t hurt to have them already chopped.

You can cut them into the size of your preference. Place a damp cloth on top of the herbs and store it in a sealed container. It will stay relatively fresh for a few days.

 

The same can be applied to shallots/onions. Save it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

 

Pasta can be made in advance too, but there is a trick. Dry pasta generally takes 6 to 9 minutes to cook al dente depending on the type and brand. In order to store it and then re-heat it, we have to cook it for the right amount of time. It all depends on the brand. If the box says that the pasta would be al dente with just 8 minutes, then I would cook the pasta for barely 6 minutes, shock it with plenty of cold water to completely stop the cooking process. This way, you will be able to rehydrate the pasta in boiling water and finish the dish with those 2 minutes you took from the initial cooking time of the pasta.

Once you have cooked and shocked the pasta, drain it and gently dry it with a paper towel, then store it in a sealed container.

 

Shrimp will only be fresh for a few days. If you want to have them ready in advance, marinate it {completely covered} with oil, some chopped garlic and herbs. Not only will the shrimp gain flavor but they will last for a bit longer in your refrigerator.

For this dish, you will need approximately 3 to 4 jumbo shrimp {21-25} per serving. Each cut into 3 equal parts.

 

Let’s start by heating up the olive oil. Saute the shallots for 30 seconds more or less.

 

Add the shrimp and extra tablespoons of olive oil to the mix and barely cook it on both sides until they turn a little pink. Season with salt.

 

Deglaze it with white wine and then add the herbs. Cook it for a minute or so.

 

Once some of the wine has evaporated, add the pasta.

 

Toss it around to mix the pasta with the rest of the ingredients. Add more olive oil to taste and adjust the seasoning.

 

And Voilà! This dish could easily cost you $11 to $18 dollars depending on how big the portion is and the area where the restaurant is located.

You can make this at home with already prepped ingredients in less than 8 minutes.

Bon Appetit!