Yesterday evening my best friend came by to have dinner for Ash Wednesday. Unsure of what to make, I thought what is my favorite non-meat item? SHRIMP! Below is a recipe for a delicious and simple Shrimp Scampi! It has the extra kick from the chili pepper, but the sweet/citrus flavor of the Saffron-Moscato Sauce is absolutely delightful.
As a savvy shopper, I would like to recommend if you do not use baby spinach on a regular basis, it can seem wasteful to buy an entire bag (which at my local grocer is $3.99 and up). What I do is hit the salad bar! They are typically $5.99 per pound. For this recipe I was able to fill a small salad container full of the baby spinach at the salad bar, and it only cost
$.89! And the best part, none of it goes to waste :)
Also, you will notice in my recipe, I call for
prepared saffron. This is my family's way of making the most of saffron. To make this, you take your saffron and crush it with sugar cubes using a mortar. This sugar-saffron mixture can be store in a spice jar. I have a re-used pesto jar that I reserve for my saffron now. I fill the pesto jar with 1 tablespoon of the crushed sugar-saffron and fill it 3/4 of the way with water. Shake! You can store this in the fridge and use it whenever you have a recipe which calls for saffron! When you run out, just add another tablespoon of the crushed sugar-saffron and refill with water and shake. Essentially, it is a liquid form of saffron and works perfectly when cooking!
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| Shrimp tossed with Baby Spinach and Saffron-Moscato Sauce, and topped with your favorite pasta sauce! |
What you will need:
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
- Moscato Wine
- 1 1/2 Lemon
- Butter
- Baby Spinach
- 1 Box Spaghetti
- 1 tbsp Prepared Saffron
- Chilli Paste
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil
- Your favorite marinara or tomato based pasta sauce.
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| Clockwise, Starting at the top-left corner: Barilla Spaghetti, Barefoot Moscato, Garlic Cloves, Prepared Saffron, Butter, Baby Spinach, Finely Chopped Shallots, and 1 1/2 Lemon. |
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| Garlic! |
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| Finely Chopped Large Shallot! |
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| Shrimp marinated with chilli paste, salt, and pepper. |
Directions:
- Add 1 tablespoon of chilli paste, salt, and pepper to the shrimp. Mix and let marinate.
- Prepare pasta according to the package directions. To keep noodles from sticking and to add flavor, add a tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of salt.
- Meanwhile, as you prepare the pasta: add 1 tablespoon of butter to a saute pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the chopped shallot. Saute until translucent, then add the shrimp. Saute the shrimp until pink on each side. Half-way through the cooking time of the shrimp add the crushed garlic. Right before the shrimp are done: add the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of prepared saffron, and 2 tablespoons Moscato. When shrimp are done, transfer them to a serving dish and keep warm.
- Using the same saute pan (do not rinse!), add the juice of an entire lemon and three tablespoons butter. Stir constantly, until butter is melted. Add 1/2 cup Moscato, handful of Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of the prepared saffron. Let simmer.
- When pasta is ready, drizzle the prepared noodles with olive oil. In your serving dish, toss together the pasta, the prepared shrimp, the baby spinach, a handful of Parmesan cheese, and the Saffron-Moscato Sauce.
- On each serving, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite marinara or tomato based pasta sauce. Serve along-side your favorite bread (I recommened NewYork Garlic Knots) and ENJOY!
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| Prepared Shrimp. |
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| Prepared pasta, drizzled with olive oil. |
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| Tossed Pasta, Shrimp, Baby Spinach, Parmesan Cheese, and Saffron-Moscato Sauce. |
