May 26: Italian-Style Garlic Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Thin Spaghetti

   Coarse salt
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 pound small shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed
2 teaspoons lemon zest plus the juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 cup white vermouth or 1/3 cup dry white wine
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
20 fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded
   Coarse black pepper

Heat a large pot of water for the pasta. When the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta al dente.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little salt. Add the EVOO to the hot pan and then add the shrimp. Cook for a minute, then add the garlic, tomatoes, and scallions and toss, cooking for another minute or two until the shrimp are firm and pink. Add the white vermouth and the herbs. Turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta well and add to the sauce. Toss and combine the sauce with pasta and season with salt and black pepper.

4 SERVINGS

This is a nice light supper that was perfect for a spring night. I only made half the recipe because we're going on vacation tomorrow evening, so I will be making tomorrow's recipe for lunch. I will probably skip about 2 recipes... I'll still blog them, but I won't cook them. Anyway, I liked the garlic herbs with the tomatoes and shrimp... I wonder how you might make this recipe a little creamier, sort of like shrimp scampi. It has the flavor, but not the thickness. I think I'd like it either way. We're going to Minneapolis to visit the Mall of America for the weekend. I'm so excited to get away with my family!