I came up with the accompanying recipe one Wednesday about 7 p.m. while staring down a hungry family and a mostly empty refrigerator, and with minimal energy in my tank for cooking after a long workday. This pasta, in a lemony basil pesto studded with plump shrimp, wound up on the table about 20 minutes later that evening, and it turned out to be so delicious, it has been in regular rotation ever since.
Serve with a simple salad.
You'll have leftover pesto, which can be refrigerated -- covered with plastic wrap directly on the surface, then sealed in an airtight container -- for up to 3 days.
Spaghetti With Shrimp and Pesto
For the pesto:
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
For the spaghetti:
12 ounces dried whole-grain spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound medium-to-large shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
4 small sprigs fresh basil, torn or cut into thin strips, for garnish
For the pesto: Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and golden brown, shaking the pan frequently, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
Transfer the toasted pine nuts to a food processor; add the chopped garlic and pulse until those ingredients are minced. Add the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano and lemon juice; pulse until finely minced and well incorporated. With the machine running, gradually pour the oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process to form a fairly smooth pesto. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. The yield is 1 cup; you'll use 3/4 cup for this recipe.
For the spaghetti: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt, then the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the al-dente directions on the package. Reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink but not cooked all the way through, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, the 3/4 cup of pesto and the crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for a minute, stirring, until the mixture is barely bubbling at the edges.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing with tongs, until the pasta is coated in the sauce and the shrimp is opaque and just cooked through. Add a splash or two of the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Garnish with the basil and serve right away.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (using 3/4 of the pesto) contains approximately 450 calories, 26 g protein, 22 g fat, 45 g carbohydrate, 125 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium and 6 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
Food on 07/20/2016