{spiced-up linguine with shrimp}

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~ food ~

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I have already professed my love for Giada De Laurentiis and her amazing book Everyday Pasta, but here I go again.

Saturday afternoon, our tummies are already looking forward to dinner. Dan expresses a need for pasta, so we pull out the trusty book. We only flip a few pages before we find a recipe for linguine with butter, Pecorino cheese, pepper, and arugula. We decided to use the recipe as our inspiration, adding shrimp as our own personal touch.

We threw on a little Ben Folds in honor of the concert at Deer Valley that night and danced while making our meal. We jazzed up the shrimp with a pinch of red pepper flakes, which was the perfect complement to the pepper and spicy, fresh arugula in the pasta. Add a glass of white wine and we had ourselves a pretty awesome (and incredibly tasty!) dish perfect for a summer evening.

Props to my sweetie, who was 100% in charge of the shrimp. His beautiful seasoning took the pasta to a new level.

{spiced-up linguine with shrimp}

Servings: About 6

For the shrimp:

• 1/2 pound shrimp
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
  
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional but mighty tasty)

For the pasta:

• 1 pound linguine
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
• Salt, to taste

Prep your shrimp by removing the shells, veins, and tails. (Side note: Dan bought a shrimp deveiner at the market since we had purchased fresh shrimp from the counter. He was greatly disappointed when he unwrapped the package and discovered the shrimp had already been deveined.)

Heat olive oil in saute pan. Brown the garlic in the oil, then add the shrimp. While stirring, season with Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and set aside.

After cooking your linguine in a large pot of salted water until it is al dente (make sure you stir frequently), drain the pasta. Be sure to reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water (this is a very important step in this dish, so don't forget it!).

Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat. While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, and enough of the reserved pasta water evenly over the linguine to moisten. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Season with salt as needed (the cheese adds a nice nutty/salty flavor to your pasta, so make sure you add additional salt last so it's not too overpowering).

Stir in your shrimp, serve up, and enjoy!

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