Hello again! I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but let me tell you... life is certainly rocking and rolling around here. Living in the fast lane at work and at home has meant I've had little time to capture what's been going on in the kitchen. Anddd what's been going on hasn't been too blog worthy. Think cheese, bread, pasta, rice, and sandwiches - basics I try to keep around for quick bites on the run.
One upsetting thing about how busy I've been this spring is all the great produce I am missing out on - artichokes for starters. I had even bought some with big plans to
steam and then fry the hearts, but alas I ended up having to throw them
out (which I hate admitting). With fresh Mediterranean food on my mind, I
threw together this quick pasta inspired by a recipe my mom made for me
growing up. Sam has requested it more than once since then, and really it's quite light and springy even for pasta.
Last night was our first night at home in over a week. As I was running to the store for more parmesan and some fresh shrimp, I thought to myself.... just do it, go ahead and blog it. As much as I love an all day affair in the kitchen, I am going to try to start featuring a few more of my favorite quick and easy, anytime meals over the next couple months.
Pantry staples are really what quick and easy boils down too. Most of these ingredients you probably keep around the kitchen on a regular basis, but jars of artichoke hearts are something I start picking up in march and wane when fall hits. Whether it's a dip you want to throw together or a simple pasta, artichokes from a jar really aren't that bad. I do avoid the canned variety though, as I have found even the higher quality, more expensive varieties tend to have a slight metallic taste.
This recipe makes two large servings and will take you about 30 minutes, shrimp peeling and all!
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1lb Fresh Shrimp (we like the big ones, but any size will do just adjust cooking time)
8oz of linguine noodles
1/4 cup of olive oil
6 cloves of garlic
1-2 teaspoons of red pepper
1/4 cup of white wine (or just enough to keep things from sticking)
12oz Jar of quartered, marinated Artichoke Hearts (drained)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Plenty of parmesan
Salt
Procedure:
Start by getting your pasta water boiling, then peeling your shrimp. Once your shrimp is peeled, heat the olive oil in your saute pan, add garlic, shrimp, salt, and red pepper. Cook on medium to high heat until your garlic starts to brown and the shrimp is warm throughout, about five minutes. While the shrimp is cooking add your pasta to your salted, boiling water.
Then, pour in your white wine to the shrimp and garlic, stirring well to coat and to keep them from sticking (1/4 cup may be more than you'll really need). Next, you'll toss in the drained artichokes. I use the end of whatever utensil I am using to stir to try and separate the artichoke hearts because we don't like them in huge chunks. Keep stirring until shrimp and artichokes are well incorporated. Remove from heat, and squeeze over the juice from one lemon then add parmesan.
Simple as that!
