Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tangy Shrimp Pasta

Two days before payday menu selections can get a little interesting with supplies on the low side, and they're even lower than usual because I was a bit of a slacker when it came to grocery shopping this past month.  One thing I never slack on is going to the Amish stand on Saturdays and a few weeks ago I got a crate of sweet red and green bell peppers for $6.00 so I've got -several- bags of those chopped in the freezer but didn't really know what I was going to use them other than etoufee.  I thought about making etoufee until I realized that I was out of crawfish, and I prefer both shrimp and crawfish in my etoufee, so while looking at the shrimp and peppers I decided to get creative and this was the result:

ingredients:
2 cups diced bell pepper, red and green or whatever you have
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 cup chopped green onion
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I tend to over spice things, but I like it!)
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups chicken broth divided
2-3 lbs raw shrimp (de-headed, de-shelled and de-veined)
1 8oz bag Italian cheese blend
pasta of your choice

In large, deep skillet (or pot if you don't have a deep skillet) sautee peppers, onion, garlic and cayenne till soft, add 1 cup of the chicken broth and reduce heat.  Mix corn starch with fork in remaining chicken broth and add to skillet when blended smooth.  Allow mixture to come to boil in order to thicken then add preped raw shrimp.  Stirring constantly cook only till shrimp curl and turn opaque and remove from fire.  Stir in cheese, cover skillet/pot and let sit for 10 minutes then serve over pasta.

It's very easy to over cook shrimp, when cooking in a sauce like this as soon as the shrimp curl and turn opaque TAKE THE POT OFF THE FLAME, the heat from the sauce will continue to cook the shrimp till it is thoroughly cooked through.

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