16-Minute Meal:

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi reminds me of khaki shorts.Little silver hair clips threaded with thin satin ribbon, finished

with a neat little bow at the end. I had red, pink, purple, and white. What colors did you have?

Shrimp Scampi also reminds me of Foreigner. The old Foreigner, not the “I Wanna Know What Love Is”

Foreigner. And I know they’re probably the same, but they aren’t in my heart.

Anyway, the whole thing just reminds me of Shrimp Scampi, the classic late seventies/early eighties

throw-together meal of shrimp, butter, garlic, and lemon. I throw in wine (of course) and a dash or two

of hot sauce in an effort to be weird, but it’s hard to do too much to improve on the original.

I use angel hair because it’s nice with the very light sauce, but thin spaghetti or linguine works well, too.

I wouldn’t do a short penne or rigatoni; too much noodle, man. So much for that here is a gourmet

recipe with pictures for visual learners.

Instructions with Pictures

Finely chop up some onion.

Then grab three or four garlic cloves (depending on their size)…

And mince ‘em up really finely.

In a large skillet melt some butter with a little olive oil. (I took out some of this; don’t be alarmed.)

Don’t be like me and walk away from the skillet long enough for the butter to brown. Then add the

onion and garlic.

Saute the onions and garlic for a couple of minute, or until translucent.

Inhale. Exhale. Sing songs of praise for aromas like this.

Next, continue cooking.

Throw in a pound of peeled, deveined shrimp.

Pour in a half a cup of dry white wine. Give or take.

Use the freakiest, wackiest, most bizarre looking pink alien claw you have ever imagined to squeeze

some lemon juice into the shrimp. Close your eyes briefly and imagine what life would be like if your

hands were in high demand for photo shoots. Then slap yourself, but not because you loathe your

hands. Because you need to open your eyes and keep cooking.

Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce to the pan. It just adds a little kick.

Finally, sprinkle in some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Let this bubble up for a few minutes.

At the very last minute, throw in the angel hair since it only takes a couple of minutes to cook.

Add the cooked angel hair and toss it in the sauce.

It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the pasta is coated with the delicious

buttery/garlicy/lemony/shrimpy pan juices. And add the pasta in a couple of batches; stop adding it if it

looks like there aren’t enough juices to keep it moist and coated.

End with some chopped herbs (parsley and basil are good)…

And some grated Parmesan.

Dinner is served!

Enjoy this easy weeknight meal, guys.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

4 cloves Garlic Cloves, Minced Or Pressed

1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined

1/2 cup White Wine

2 whole Lemons

4 dashes Hot Sauce (I Used Tabasco; More To Taste)

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta

Chopped Fresh Basil To Taste

Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.

Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two

or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.

Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or

two of the pasta water.

Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned.

Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

Source: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/16-minute-meal-shrimp-scampi/