Pasta pasta!
Pasta is definitely amongst my top favorite things to cook. The reason is that it’s mostly easy to cook (aside from all the prep-work that’s involved - whew!) and there are so many different combinations of ingredients you can put into the dish. It’s like a painting and even the wackiest color combination can create a nice contrast or kick to the artwork.
This pasta I made for my friends was mostly conceived from tastes that I like and from color combinations I feel is most pleasant to the eye. That’s right - when you are cooking, you have to imagine what the dish will look like at the end and select ingredients that will help you get there. Instructions and more pictures after the jump:
On a cookable scale, this is a
☻☻☻☺☺
Ingredients: 1 box Campanelle pasta,2 large Portobello mushrooms, a fistful of Sun-dried tomatoes, 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 small jar Artichoke hearts, White Wine (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay - I used pinot grigio), 1/2 cup Fresh peas, Salt, Pepper, Italian herb/spice blend, 4 sprigs Rosemary, lots of Olive oil,1 Shallot, generous amounts of Garlic, Butter, Fennel (frond & stalk), Shrimp (size and type of shrimp depends on you)
ⱷ Make sure to have all of your vegetables (portobello mushrooms, peas, roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes) chopped up and ready to go in individual bowls. This will make cooking a lot more efficient.
ⱷ Mince garlic and shallots and throw them into a pan over medium heat along with a generous portion of olive oil.
ⱷ When the garlic and shallots start to fill your kitchen with its aroma and the pieces turn lightly brown, add a splash of white wine (about 1 cup), reduce heat and let simmer while stirring occasionally.
ⱷ Add about 1/2-3/4 cup alfredo sauce or heavy cream. If you use heavy cream, be prepared to use more spices and salt. Alfredo sauce will make your life lots easier. Mix thoroughly.
ⱷ Throw in peas and portobello mushroom and mix the sauce onto the vegetables you introduced to the pan.
ⱷ Add in about 2-3 tbsp of butter and melt into the sauce. This will give a nice soft texture to the sauce.
ⱷ Add in 4 sprigs of rosemary to soak into the sauce. I bought the organic kind from Ralphs, though I could have just picked it off the side of the road where I park my car. Adam won’t let me do this though.
ⱷ While the sauce is simmering on low heat, spray a separate pan to prepare the shrimp. First, lightly boil the shrimp for about a minute (be careful not to overcook them! Them shrimp cook freaking fast) then transfer them to the heated pan and let fry for a bit on each side.
ⱷ Add in Italian herbs (I used a McCormick & Schmick’s grinder, but you can add oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley, etc. on your own) and lightly sautee the shrimp.
ⱷ Leave the shrimp to cool in a bowl.
ⱷ You also want to get the pasta boiling at some point before you begin the shrimp as it takes longer for pasta (approximately 7-8 minutes) to cook. Throw the al dente pasta into the sauce and mix well.
ⱷ I can never cook “just enough” for the number I am serving. I was serving for 4, but ended up cooking for 8. Once I added in the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, the pan was overflowing so I had to split into two pans.
ⱷ I used the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes that came in jars. The sun-dried tomatoes are in olive oil. I prefer these over the dried tomatoes you get in bags because the kinds in jars retain a lot of moisture and the juiciness I love. I also gave up on cooking fresh artichokes because the amount of effort in preparing them is NOT worth the energy, stress, and cuts on my hands IMO. The ones in jars work just fine and they may just be tastier.
ⱷ Finish with some chopped stalk of fennel and garnish with fennel fronds. The resulting pasta is a mouth-watering, photogenic piece of art.
Serve on individual plates with shrimp and sprinkle with fresh parmesan!
I unfortunately do not have any plated pictures as this food was cooked in my new apartment (yay!) and I only have cheesy plates with drawings of bunnies and flowers that clash with the overall presentation, but I probably will recreate this dish again in the future.
Bon apetit!
