Dinner...Off-the-Cuff

There are days when I get home from work and all I want to do is curl up in bed; let the rest of the day melt away. I’m sure everyone has experienced days when things just keep going wrong, one incident after another. The bane of my existence are days like these and as a direct result, I end up having a glass of red wine and popcorn with black pepper (I know it sounds odd…but it’s so yummy!) for dinner cause I can’t seem to do anything else.

Last night was turning out to be one of those nights but I had a pound of shrimp that needed to be cooked or frozen, so I opted for cooking with a little help from The Talking Heads (music to get the inspirational juices flowing). I get my apron on and I stand in front of the pantry for a good ten minutes and think, “hmmm…what shall I do with my shellfish friends?” I had some cremini mushrooms on hand, can of diced tomatoes, basil and spaghetti noodles; so I started building from there. As soon as I started prepping all my ingredients my bad day seemed like a distant memory. I think the smell of garlic and basil and melting butter is therapeutic…I might just patent an air freshener!

All the ingredients I had on hand and I just kinda “wing-it” to come up with this little concoction. I think that’s the most enjoyable way to cook!

Ingredients:

1-pound shrimp, pealed and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
3 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine (optional)
* I love the pairing of sherry and shellfish…crab or shrimp…it just gives the dish a rich dimension of flavor!
1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Handful of torn basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
* I set the pine nuts in a small dry sauté pan on low heat for about five minutes, tossing occasionally to avoid burning
1/2 a package of Spaghetti noodles, cooked in boiling, salted water
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When the skillet is nice and hot add the shrimp, season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until they just start turning pink, about 2-3 minutes, you don’t want to cook them completely you just want to get the delicious shrimp “essence” in the pan. After 2-3 minutes transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the mushrooms to the hot skillet. Saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes; you want to see the mushrooms start to release their juices. Add the garlic, shallot, sherry, and season with a teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper. Heat through for another 3 minutes.

Lower heat to medium-low and add the canned tomatoes and chili flakes and another pinch of salt and pepper. You want to cook the mixture so the liquid evaporates and the sauce gets thick, about 8 minutes, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the shrimp back to the skillet and stir to incorporate the ingredients and heat the shrimp through, another 2 minutes or so.


Turn the heat off and add torn basil leaves and cooked spaghetti. Top with the pine nuts and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Dinners ready!

The best remedy for a not so great day: eating a really great dish!