Quick, Easy, Real Food; Shrimp Pasta Primivera with wine pairings

Whipped after work? This is an extra easy weeknight supper (about 30 minutes) that seems fairly fancy for a Wednesday and delivers in taste! I change up the vegetables depending on what I have in the fridge, zucchini, peas, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and even cubed butternut squash is fantastic! With such simple ingredients you really want to use the best ingredients that you can afford. Real Parmigianno-Reggiano is a must as is REAL heavy cream...you'll be happy, I promise! (In the photo I used red peppers, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.) A sliced baguette and tiny side salad will round out this dish beautifully! Or throw together an antipasti plate of salame, castelveltrano olives and a few roasted almonds and nibble while you cook! I prefer Italian white wines with this dish; Gavi de Gavi and Grillo are 2 refreshing whites that are a bit different from the same old Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Gavi is heavier and Grillo is light and crispy, both are dry wines. If you're really feeling it, a Prosecco (dry, sparkling Italian white wine)would make this meal over the top!

Shrimp Pasta Primivera

1/2 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti (Rustichella Whole Wheat Spaghetti is wonderful!)
2 generous handfuls fresh spinach
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced into ribbons
3 minced garlic cloves
3 whole sundried tomatoes
12 basil leaves, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt & pepper
½ lb. fresh raw shrimp, peeled deveined and tail removed

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, add the garlic and red peppers and sauté 1 minute. Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes, stirring often. 3 Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil. Add the cream and toss in all the vegetables. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, not boiling.

In a medium saucepan, bring fresh water to a boil and cook shrimp until just pink. Drain and set aside.

Add the parmigiano reggiano cheese and stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add some more chicken broth, cream or water. Add shrimp just to warm through.
Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

As soon as the pasta is done, transfer it with tongs into the sauce and stir to combine. Add the basil and adjust seasonings.

Fresh Mozzarella and Arugula Crostini

Why is a simple always the tastiest?

When I remember some of our travels, I always seem to remember the simple pleasures of food versus the fancy restaurants. Case in point, Fresh Mozzarella and Arugula Crostini. The baguette was toasted to perfection, the olive oil was fruity and golden, the arugula was peppery and bitter and the Fresh Mozzarella was milky and warm.....it was my "ah-ha" Italian moment. This is a recipe that requires GREAT quality ingredients, use the best you can afford. Because the simplicity of the ingredients, each component is actually tasted and you want them to be amazing. I also use only coarse sea salt for these, I want the crunch and they need a good bit of salt to bring out the flavors.

Spring is here and the allure of fresh garden arugula was calling me. So simple to make, so lovely before dinner, so fresh.

FRESH MOZZARELLA AND ARUGULA CROSTINI

10 slices of fresh baguette
1 ball Fresh Mozzarella (of course I used Four Corners Creamery)
1 handful of fresh Arugula, cleaned and torn to 2 inch pieces
Best Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush baguette slices with a bit of olive oil and bake 7 minutes. In the meantime, slice 1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella into 10 slices.

Assemble by layering a small amount of arugula and slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each baguette slice. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle (give it a healthy bit as it really brings out the flavors!) with sea salt. Eat immediately!

Adventures in pasta making; I am not Italian...

Don't let the dark hair/eyes fool you...I am not Italian.  If I thought I could pass for Italian, the pasta making has stopped me short!

I have tried to make pasta once before, using a rolling pin.  Possible, but deadly on your upper body muscles.  Not to mention, you cannot believe how much pasta 2 cups of flour makes until you begin rolling it out!!  I even had an Italian chef once tell me "Just buy the rolling machine....".

Each year as my birthday rolls around, I make a list in my head of things I need to try/do.  It's kind of how some make New Year's resolutions, only I really feel it as the digits of my life clock roll ahead.  Pasta was on my list this year, along with growing watercress, learning to smoke cigars, setting up a lovely cocktail table in my living room complete with some unusual liquor bottles and crystal decanters (possible now that our youngest daughter is graduating from high school), reading the weekend edition of the WSJ every week and publishing a cookbook.

So, I bought the pasta rolling machine as a gift to myself!  Shiny red, rolls as smooth as silk with just a small twist of the handle!  I attached it to my cutting board (note to self; buy a piece of granite) and I was off rolling out tagliatelle made with eggs!  I set John to work creating a Bolognese sauce to simmer away for the remainder of the afternoon.  

I always get a kick out of Italian directions.  They are printed on fabulous quality paper (none of that white filmy booklet you get in most imported goods) in a small booklet, complete with drawings.  The instructions are totally complete on how to do everything, except actually putting it together/changing the dough sizes!!  With only one knob and 2 holes, John and I figured it out....

I went a bit overboard with the flour dusting!  Whew, still cleaning!  I hoping with a fair amount of practice, I can churn out some wonderful stuff!

 

I would LOVE any tips you might share for making pasta!