Hope springs eternal...Pasta with Shrimp, Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes, Peppers, Basil and Lemon

May 14

May 14 Hope springs eternal...Pasta with Shrimp, Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes, Peppers, Basil and Lemon

Diary, Food & Drink, Recipes, Restaurants

Is there anything like asparagus to signal the beginning of spring? Yesterday I made my first foray into the city since February for an already rescheduled Doctor’s appointment. Nothing to report (I love boring Doctor’s visits!) but it felt surreal. The city doesn’t feel like my city anymore although you can see small signs of life returning to normal. For one, there was NO parking. Really? I’d heard that you could basically park in the middle of the street. After circling for 20 minutes I just pulled into a lot, much to my chagrin. If I’d thought a bit more about it I would have driven up my beloved West side, parked there and walked across the park - next time!

Leaving my Doctor’s office, I was delighted to see a small farmer’s market across the street and went over to take a peek. Not having been in the city for almost three months this made me feel a little more like my city was returning. What I didn’t realize was that there was a system in place - a line to wait to order your produce, a line to pay, etc. It was chalked out in front of the vendor. Admonished by an elderly woman, I waited my turn. She had two dogs in tow - one was pulling on his leash and the other was in a baby stroller. She gave me “the look”. I apologized and said, “I hadn’t realized there was a line but I’m happy to wait”.

Another look. She stepped to the front and ordered her produce. I was waved in by the server towards the plastic covered display so I approached the front since I seemed welcomed. I tried very hard to avoid the woman and her dog who was yanking on his leash, pulling her towards me.

Again, “the look”. I followed her and stood on line to pay - all the while trying to keep my proper social distance. “You’re standing too close!” I stepped back but was waved onto the cashier. I gingerly leaned over on one foot and handed my cash to the cashier. The elderly woman looked at her cashier and said, “SOME PEOPLE!”. I shrugged and walked away.

So here’s my question. We were both wearing masks. I was mostly at least six feet away. Isn’t that enough?

Ok. Enough about that. I bought lovely asparagus and rhubarb (which I’ll post next) and started thinking about a pasta I have made for years. It was originally featured on the cover of Bon Appetit in May of 2007 and featured the chef Bill Granger who is still an Aussie favorite. This pasta has long been one of my favorite spring ones. Over the years I’ve tweaked it and made it mine so I’ll include the original as well as my revised version.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Shrimp, Asparagus and Basil (original from Bon Appetit) - serves 2

Chow Bella: Pasta with Shrimp, Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes, Peppers, Basil and Lemon

I made it for 4. My goal was to have less pasta and more of the “stuff” so I didn’t increase the amount of pasta. If you are adapting mine for 2 just take a look at your quantities. It’s hard to go wrong with any amount, to be quite honest!

Ingredients

8 ounces Linguine - you can use any pasta. I used Paccheri no. 125

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil - I use Virgin Olive Oil (VOO)

2 Garlic Cloves - I used 4 or 5

1 Tablespoon chopped red Jalapeno chilis - I used 3 green jalapenos

I added 1 Shallot

1/2 cup dry White Wine

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter - I used the end of what I had - more like 2 1/2 Tablespoons

12 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact - I used 24

12 slender asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1 and 1/2 inch pieces - I used 2 bunches

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice - I used juice from 2 lemons that I juiced right into the sauce

I added in (because I had it lying in my fridge) 1/2 cup of fire roasted peppers (yellow and orange)

I also added in about 3/4 of canned plum tomatoes because it was in my fridge

2 cups of fresh basil leaves thinly sliced, plus additional for garnish

2 lemon wedges - I used 4

I serve it with fresh Parmigiano at the table ( you can grate as much / as little as you like ) as well as chili pepper flakes

I served it with a tweaked version of my fennel salad. Less greens, more fennel and dill. The combination was amazing :).

Directions

Bill Granger’s version - from his restaurant BILLS

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno; saute 1 minute. Add wine and butter, boil 2 minutes. Add shrimp, asparagus and lemon juice. toss until asparagus is just tender and shrimp are just opaque in center, about 3 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to skillet; add two cups es and toss until basil wilts and sacue coats pasta, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between two plates. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and lemon wedges and serve.

Chow Bella’s Version

Not a huge difference but I roasted the tomatoes and the asparagus beforehand. I like the extra sweetness that roasting brings out in vegetables.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. Tossed the tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes) in olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (easier clean up!). I did the same with the asparagus. You need to have at least 45 minutes to an hour to do this beforehand. I had the peppers already in my fridge as well as the plum tomatoes. The point is that you can add stuff that you have on hand if the flavors seem to work.

To make the pasta, follow Bill’s directions but instead of adding the vegetables to the broth, just add the shrimp. I always need to cover my skillet to get the shrimp to cook through. When the shrimp are cooked, add in your roasted vegetables as well as any add-ons like the plum tomatoes or the fire roasted peppers.

Drain pasta - I always take a coffee mug and scoop out some of the liquid before draining my pasta in case I need extra liquid. Add pasta to the skillet, add the basil and toss until it wilts and sauce coats pasta . Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a fresh lemon wedge, parmigiano on the side as well as salt, pepper, red chili pepper.