Homemade pesto, shrimp pasta a winning combination

Once you add the shrimp to the skillet, they should begin to turn opaque in a few minutes.
Once you add the shrimp to the skillet, they should begin to turn opaque in a few minutes.

I’m always surprised by how often people talk about so-called “convenience” foods — meals that have been prepared in advance and are sold in supermarkets either ready to serve or to reheat and eat. As a result, time and again, home cooks are putting food that is past its prime on their dining tables. It’s often pumped up with salt, sugar and all sorts of additives that aren’t good for anyone.

To me, convenience has a different meaning. The trick is to start with good fresh ingredients. Cook them simply, in ways that highlight their natural flavor, color, texture and goodness, and combine them with seasonings that pay the perfect complement to those qualities.

Let me show you what I mean by sharing one — well, actually, two — recipes from WolfgangPuckCooking

School.com. One is linguine with shrimp and pesto; the other is a companion recipe for my pesto sauce.

Perfect for a quick weeknight supper and yet special enough for a casual dinner party, the pasta recipe features plump shrimp and easy-to-find dried linguine noodles, all seasoned with the lively flavors of fresh basil, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Those seasonings themselves are the principal ingredients of the pesto, a classic pasta sauce from Genoa, Italy. The preparation gets its name from a Latin word that means “to pound or crush,” a descriptive reference to the mortar and pestle that are traditionally used to reduce the ingredients to a thick, luscious paste. But, as you’ll learn from the recipe here and from the high-definition video lesson in my school, you can make the sauce far more quickly and easily with a food processor.

Also, note that the version of pesto I offer doesn’t have the Parmesan cheese often included in a pesto recipe. That’s because the sauce doesn’t keep as well if you blend cheese in it right away, as well as the fact that I find the Parmesan can mask rather than highlight the fresh, sweet flavor of the shrimp. Instead of the usual cheese you might expect to be sprinkled over each serving, I use a garnish of oil-toasted breadcrumbs for a deliciously crunchy contrast.

You’ll also be surprised to learn that the entire main course takes a matter of minutes to prepare once the water is boiling for the pasta. One taste, and you’ll understand that real ingredients you cook for yourself can become the ultimate expression of convenience.

QUICK AND EASY PESTO SAUCE

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

10 garlic cloves, peeled

3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted in a low-heat oven or a dry saucepan over low heat

4 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Directions:

In a mini chopper, a blender or a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade, combine the garlic, pine nuts, basil and olive oil.

Blend or process, until smoothly pureed, stopping several times as needed to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Season to taste with salt. To store, pour into airtight containers, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days, or freeze for up to several months, thawing in the refrigerator before use.

LINGUINE WITH SHRIMP AND PESTO

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs such as panko

Kosher salt

12 ounces linguine

About 2 dozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Freshly ground black pepper or white pepper

2 or 3 pinches crushed red-pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup pesto sauce (see recipe), or store-bought pesto sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus small sprig for garnish

Directions:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs. Stir to coat evenly with the oil. Cook until the crumbs are evenly browned and crisp, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still slightly chewy, following the manufacturer’s suggested cooking time. Remove and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid from the pot. Drain the pasta through a colander.

Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and add the shrimp to the skillet. Toss until the shrimp begin to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the chili flakes, then the wine. Cook, stirring and scraping to deglaze the pan, until the wine evaporates and the shrimp are just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes

longer.

Add the pesto and butter, and toss to coat the shrimp with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings, then stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking liquid.

Add the drained pasta and chopped parsley to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Toss to coat the pasta and heat the dish through, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoon if the sauce seems dry.

Twist about a fourth of the linguine onto a two-pronged carving fork and transfer to a serving plate, easing off the pasta to form a mound. Repeat for three more servings. Distribute the shrimp evenly among the plates. Sprinkle generously with the breadcrumbs. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

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