There comes a time, usually in the thick of the school year, when we're too far in to see either end very clearly, that the idea of cooking every night is simply overwhelming. But the baby birds still need to eat.
On these occasions, I tend to raid the freezer and come up with something creative. In fact, many of my best meals have been born of whatever we happen to have in the house.
The other night - it must have been a Wednesday because I felt mired in the middle of the week - I came up with this poor man's version of Linguine con Vongole. I used shrimp, because I usually have some in the freezer, but the sauce will work with clams, mussels or even chicken. It also stands well on its own.
This makes a very easy, but satisfying meal, whether you have the energy to add a side salad or garlic bread or not. And if you don't have linguine in the house, that's okay too. Any pasta will work.
Easy Shrimp in Garlic Wine Sauce over Linguine
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
freshly ground salt and pepper
parsley flakes
dried or fresh oregano
dried or fresh basil
1 lb packaged linguine
1 lb frozen cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
1. Cook the linguine according to package directions.
2. Defrost shrimp according to package directions.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter together over low heat
4. Add garlic and stir frequently until fragrant
5. Add wine and increase heat to medium
6. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about a fourth, about six minutes
7. Season with remaining ingredients to taste
8. Add defrosted shrimp to pot, stirring until warm and coated with sauce
9. Serve shrimp and sauce over pasta.
Comments