ASK PAT: Shrimp scampi recipes remain popular

Shrimp Scampi recipes I have printed in the past have been popular so I am printing a couple more today. One takes only 15 minutes, features a green sauce, is written to be spicy and is from Rachel Ray. The second one is a healthier version and is a little more traditional but is also written to be spicy.

 Shrimp Scampi Verde

Salt

2 (12-oz.) pkgs. fresh linguine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, about 20 leaves

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed, 3 handfuls

15 to 20 fresh chives, coarsely chopped

2 cups arugula leaves, packed (1 bunch, stemmed and cleaned)

Black pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)

1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (these can be omitted if you don’t like spicy)

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

Crusty bread

Fill a pot with water for the pasta. When it boils, salt it liberally. The pasta will take only a couple of minutes to cook to al dente (with a little firmness still left), so add it to the water when the shrimp are about half done (see below*) Place the stock, herbs and arugula in the bowl of a food processer with salt and pepper to taste, lemon zest and two tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. Grind into a coarse paste. Heat a deep skillet with the remaining four tablespoons of oil over medium-high to high heat. When the oil ripples, add the shrimp and season liberally with salt and pepper. Stir and cook the shrimp for three minutes, *then drop your linguine into the boiling water. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the shrimp and cook for one to two minutes more. Add the wine and scrape the cooked on bits from off the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing). Add the green sauce to the pan. Stir in the butter and lemon juice. As soon as the pasta is ready (cooked but still with a little firmness to it), use tongs to transfer it from the pot to the skillet with the shrimp sauce. Toss to work the green sauce through the pasta and serve immediately with the crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.

 Serves:                   4

Source:                  Just in Time!

 Shrimp Scampi

 1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Red pepper flakes (amount depends on how spicy you want this - omit for no spice)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and black pepper to taste

Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Zest and juice from 1 lemon 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is light brown, about 30 seconds. (Careful! Garlic burns and turns bitter easily.) Add the onion and continue cooking until it is translucent. Season the shrimp with a pinch of salt and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and lightly caramelized. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve as is or on top of a small portion of buttered linguine or rice.

Serves:                   4

Each serving:          170 calories, 6 g total fat (1 g saturated), 470 mg sodium (shrimp only)

Source:                  Cook This Not That