Friday, October 28, 2011

Spicy Shrimp with Angel Hair Aglio Olio

Back in college, we liked to frequent a restaurant in the Mall of America called Tucci Benucch. They had this amazing dish that Bethany and I loved, and years later when Bethany was living near me, I decided to try to re-create it for her birthday. I found this recipe from Rachael Ray but added a few ingredients to make it more similar to the one that lived in my memory. I will never forget that the 4 of us (Jon and I and Bethany and Quenton) completely finished the heaping bowl of this in one sitting. This has to be up there as one of my favorite recipes of all time!

Spicy Shrimp:
2 lbs. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Combine ingredients and toss to coat shrimp evenly. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add half the shrimp. Cook shrimp 3 minutes until pink and firm. Remove shrimp to a warm platter and repeat process with remaining shrimp.

Aglio Olio:
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 (2 ounce) tin anchovy fillets
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
coarse salt

Return pan to heat and reduce heat to med-low. Add 1/4 c. olive oil, anchovies, garlic and pepper flakes. Break up anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt away in the oil and garlic mixture.

1 lb. angel hair pasta

Toss cooked angel hair pasta in the pan with parsley and garlic oil, then season with coarse salt to taste. Mix everything together including the additional topping listed below.

Additional toppings:
sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and chopped
grape tomatoes, halved

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