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| Shrimp Scampi with Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes |
I may have mentioned this before, but I love Italian food. I love pasta, I love shrimp, and I love tomatoes, but I’ve never been too fond of tomatoes and shrimp together. Shrimp Creole is probably my least favorite New Orleans dish because I find the shrimp are overpowered by the tomatoes and heavy seasoning. Shrimp Scampi, however, is one of my very favorite dishes, and possibly one of my best. (You decide)! Tonight it will be accompanied by my favorite Italian-inspired salad of arugula, tomatoes, red onion, toasted pine nuts, shavings of Parmesan and lemon vinaigrette. For the pasta, I use half spinach linguine and half whole wheat linguine; the combination is pretty and a little more nutritious than regular semolina pasta. You could try it with squid ink linguine, too, if you can find it; that would look very enticing against the bright colors of the shrimp. I really like colorful food. A quick question here: is anyone else as annoyed as I am that most pasta now comes in packages of less than 16 oz.? It's infuriating! Anyway, I toss in a few strips of sun dried tomatoes and some lemon zest! toward the end and I find they add some color and a bright sunny flavor that actually compliments the shrimp instead of hiding their lovely marine flavor. Tonight I’m going to experiment a little further and add some slivers of fresh artichoke bottom, which I typically add to my piccata for a delightful twist; I love the tangy lemony sauce with artichokes. Did I mention that artichokes are simply divine to me? One of my very favorite restaurant entrées is the Crabmeat Yvonne at Galatoire's restaurant in New Orleans: lumb crabmeat, thinly sliced mushrooms, and slivers of fresh artichoke bottom, all sautéed in butter. That's it, and the simplicity of the dish is what makes it so perfect. I do wonder, though, about the first person who attempted to eat artichokes. S/he must have been really hungry!
I promise to post this recipe after I’ve tasted it and decided whether or not the artichoke was a worthy addition. In the meantime, what’s your favorite shrimp recipe?
P.S. Thanks, Nutmeg, for the idea. ;-)
