Shrimp and Pasta in a Basil Cream Sauce
photo by Pam-I-Am
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
2
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1⁄4 cup shallot, thinly sliced (one large shallot)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (2-3 cloves)
- 1⁄3 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1⁄3 cup grape tomatoes (2 good handfuls) or 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes (2 good handfuls)
- 1⁄2 ounce pine nuts (about a quarter of a small bag)
- 1⁄2 cup dry vermouth or 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons basil, sliced in a chiffinade (about 10 to 12 large leaves)
- 1⁄3 lb pasta (I used spaghetti)
- 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
- salt and pepper
directions
- Start the water for the pasta. When it comes to a boil, add salt and pasta and cook until al dente.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil and butter. When butter stops foaming, add shallots and garlic, and a pinch of salt and black pepper, and saute until shallots are tender.
- Add shrimp, grape tomatoes, and pine nuts and cook until tomatoes burst.
- Remove everything from pan and keep warm.
- Return pan to heat and add vermouth. Allow to cook down for 1 minute while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. I used about 20 grinds of fresh ground black pepper and a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Stir well and cook until cream reduces and thickens. Stir often during this process so your cream doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.
- To chiffinade the basil, pile the basil leaves neatly on top of each other, then roll the whole pile into a long, tight log. Cut the log into thin slices.
- When sauce reaches desired thickness, add basil to cream sauce and stir well. Cook for a minute or two to let the basil infuse the cream.
- Return shrimp and tomato mixture to pan and heat through.
- Serve over your choice of pasta. Garnish with chives and parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve with crusty bread and a nice salad on the side.
- Enjoy!
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Reviews
-
I added chicken to this recipe. I used diced tomatoes and onions. I left out the pine nuts too. This recipe has an AWESOME flavor. I had trouble getting it to thicken up, so I made a little bit of a rue with flour and water and it turned out just right. The family loved it and I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
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This is a delicious and forgiving recipe. I'm allergic to pine nuts so omitted. Only had about 1/3 cup of cream but I substituted with whole milk. Added a pinch of red peppers to the sauce. Delicious. I will definitely make this again. The flavor of the fresh basil really came through especially since they were not overcooked. Thank you.
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I made a few changes and lightened it up a bit. I used whole wheat spaghetti, white wine instead of vermouth, amond milk instead of cream, added a handfull of arugula and about a tablespoon of low fat cream cheese to make the sauce creamy. I left out the pine nuts since my husband doesn't really care for them. Tasted like something you'd get in a restaurant....great dish!
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Tweaks
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
raisdbywolvz
United States