BosGuy

Shrimp scampi is an easy and quick meal that anyone can make if you have two pans and the right ingredients – which fortunately are easy to buy and not expensive.  I served this dinner following an arugula salad with tomatoes, walnuts and cranberries that I paired with a delicious sauvignon  blanc (Petit Bourgeois that Brix sells for $12.99).

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Ingredients for the shrimp scampi include:  1/2 lb of linguine, 12 shrimp, 1/2 cup of white wine (I used a sauvignon blanc), 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, 4 garlic cloves sliced thinly, a dash of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (for some heat – optional). Not shown is the olive oil I coated the pan with to start the cooking.

Start by boiling water for your pasta in one pan and adding oil in a frying pan and turning the heat to medium high. After a minute, add the sliced garlic and butter and stir to prevent the ingredients from burning.

Once you smell the garlic cooking and it slightly browns add seasonings: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and the shrimp then cover the pan. Give the pan a good shake and flip the shrimp after a minute or two. Once the shrimp is pink on both sides, add the parsley, turn off stove and remove from heat but keep covered.

When the pasta is done add it to the pan; coat the pasta with the wine and butter sauce so all the flavors are absorbed and will flavor the pasta.Then plate and serve. The longest part of this dinner is waiting for the water to boil for the pasta and assembling the ingredients. My total cooking time was about 20 minutes and the cost of this dinner (which by the way serves two) was approximately $7.00.