Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks. It looks fancy, but it's very easy to make. Because it's made with lemon juice and olive oil, it's not as heavy as some of the really buttery shrimp scampi recipes. But, it still has a lot of flavor. The recipe calls for linguine, but I substitute angel hair pasta because we like it better. I served this when Scott's mom came to visit and served it with garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Serves 6

Vegetable oil
Salt
1-1/2 pounds linguine (I use angel hair)
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
5 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic (9 cloves)
2 pounds large shrimp (about 32 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon (I left this part out without any loss of flavor)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes, optional

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. In the meantime, mince garlic, chop parsley and squeeze and slice lemons.
2. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 Tbsp of salt and the pasta, and cook as directed on package.
3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 Tbsp of salt and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
4. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked pasta and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well and serve.

Chicken Fried Rice

This recipe can be made with either cooked shrimp or chicken. I'm not sure how it would affect the recipe, but I think next time I'll add the eggs before I add the rice and chicken.

Fried Rice
1-1/2 cups uncooked white rice OR 3 cups leftover cooked rice
3 cups of water (for cooking rice)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined without tail OR cooked chicken, cubed
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp seasame oil

1. Cook rice according to directions and set aside to cool (I used leftover rice and skipped this step).
2. Saute shrimp or chicken until done (I sprinkled the chicken with salt and garlic powder before cooking). Set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok for 2 minutes. When the skillet is hot, pour in vegetable oil, bean sprouts and onion. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Mix in cooled rice and shrimp or chicken and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Mix in green onion, green peas, eggs, salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked and everything is blended evenly.

Pasta with Shrimp

This is my friend Abby's favorite pasta with shrimp recipe. I made this last night because I haven't been to the store this week. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand minus the bell pepper. I substituted green onion for the pepper. I served this with a Caesar salad.

Pasta with Shrimp
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1-1/2 cups chopped red or green pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup medium dry sherry
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
2 tsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
Either angel hair pasta, cooked and pine nuts or
white rice, cooked and slivered almonds

1. Combine flour, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper in large ziplock bag. Add shrimp and shake well to coat shrimp.
2. Begin boiling water for pasta or put rice on to cook.
3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and saute for 3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook for 1 minute. Add 1/4 tsp salt and tomatoes. Cook four minutes. Stir in shrimp and vinegar.
4. Serve over angel hair pasta and sprinkle with pine nuts or over white rice and sprinkle with slivered almonds.