Excitement over the availability of Wild Northern Shrimp from Maine had me blowing my Valentine's Day dinner plans early. But what great scheduling on my part - now you have the recipe to use on the night when it really counts. Although in our house we like to think every day is...
The shrimps nestle into the little pillowy farfalle like sweet pink heart. The tomatoes (I know, not in season... but we splurged, big time, for the organic grape variety) lend more hot redness, and the spinach and feta keeps us all healthy, for a lifetime together.
Easy Valentine's Pasta with Wild Northern Shrimp
serves 2
1/2 lb dried farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb wild northern shrimp, rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 pint organic grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 cups (about 2 nice handfuls) organic baby spinach
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
garlic on Valentine's Day?? tsk-tsk-tsk
Garlic, my friend Corey, is known as an aphrodisiac. The following is from GourmetSleuth.com:
"The 'heat' in garlic is said to stir sexual desires. Make sure you and your partner share it together. Garlic has been used for centuries to cure everything from the common cold to heart ailments. This is a good time for moderation. Enjoy a pasta with a lightly garlicky sauce and it and lead up to something spicy in the bedroom later."
I'm always wandering around the great food markets at Chelsea Market and have almost bought sea salt. Then I put it back and think, "hey, what's the difference. I have Morton's at home, isn't that good enough?" So I ask - what's the difference. It's cheap enough so I'm up for buying it if it really makes a difference when cooking.
Sara Kate - you need to come with me to that market in CM; the one with all the cheeses and pastas and spices. I want someone who knows their stuff to talk to me about half the things I see there and want to buy but don't have a clue as to how they're used.
Corey - I think the one thing you'd want to avoid on VD is asparagus!!
anne - sea salt is expensive stuff, instead use kosher salt for finishing a dish instead. It's the same NaCl as fine-grained table salt but the crystals are significantly larger and has a different taste. The larger size also makes it easy to evenly sprinkle it over a dish. Should be available in any supermarket for just a tad more than table salt.
I am all for garlic, but if you are not...
I bet you could substitue a shallot or scallions, their sweetness would be great with the shrimp! If I made this I would probably add them anyway.
sara kate, ok, i'll test the garlic-aphrodiasic hypothesis and let you know...anne: i'm blushing.
Is sea salt expensive? Maybe I was thinking of kosher or rock salt then. So is it used for cooking or just sprinkling on the plated food?
Post Valentine's Day Report: The Whole Foods in Union Square didn't have the wild northern shrimp, so I had to take some jumbo Vietnamese shrimp and chop them small, but the recipe was a big hit with my GF. The bottom line: garlic doesn't get in the way of romance if both people are having it!
Thanks Sara!
anne - sea salt is about $10-15 for a small can. It's used only for sprinkling during plating. Since it's harvested from the sea, there's small particles that gives it a mild taste of the sea. In terms of cooking, grain salt is still my all-purpose though I may use kosher salt during final moments of cooking or during plating. For baking, definitely use kosher salt when it's specified.
There wasn't any at the Whole Foods in MD either... :(