Happy Friday, friends.
I had a pretty important meeting today that I spent most of yesterday readying myself for. In short, I want to change the hyper-local world I live in. In reality, I might have just made this beautiful world a little easier to navigate.
This weeks recipe was going to be Cherry Pepper Pork Belly Tacos; I am on a quest to out spice Dan, but last night, I had an impromptu dinner with my Mom, and that recipe was outrageous.
So, here we are. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love to build a sauce. I’m sure a Michelin Star Chef/reddit commenter will tell me I’m doing it wrong, but I’m here just enjoying my life, so they can go scratch (with a broken a bottle)
Yesterdays dinner, I completely just… made up. And, I think that’s beauty of cooking. The best meals come from impromptu invitations and just being creatively free.
Last night, I wanted to use this Lemon Pasta I picked up at Trader Joes. And, when I thought of using lemon, I knew I wanted the accompanying protein and sauce to be light and fruity, almost. I usually cook with such umami flavoring, it was fun to try and go in a different direction.
So, let’s get into it!
Lemon Pasta with Fresh Shrimp in a mint, lemon sauce. With stuffed bread on the side
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Box of Pasta: I would not use the pasta I bought again. It should have been matched with an olive oil sauce and just cheese.It’s consistency got mushy after being cooked, it was weird. For you, I suggest cavatelli or penne
Frozen Uncooked Shrimp: I like to get wild frozen shrimp with the tails on, but all the other parts gone.
Garlic Cloves - I used about 3 and sliced them
Date Syrup or Honey
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Mint
Dough- room temperature!
Mozzarella Cheese
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:
So, the biggest thing with building any sauce is patience and slowly adding in your flavors. Like painting, every addition changes the landscape of the dish, so just be patient. It’s really relaxing when you let go, I promise.
First, slice up your garlic to your desired size. I always tell you how I love big chonks in my sauces, but mincing works just as well. In a sauce pan on medium heat, put a little olive oil down to cover the surface and start browning your garlic. While that’s happening, pre-heat your over to 425 and pull out your dough so it can get to room temperature. Once the garlic is brown, add in 2-3 cups of chicken broth, your shrimp, cover and let simmer on medium heat.
While thats simmering, take your dough, add some flour and roll it out. Once rolled out, drizzle some olive oil or butter on it, season with red pepper, salt and pepper, and slice some mozzarella to lay out. Roll your dough tightly into a crescent shape, top the top with butter, and pop it in the oven for 25 minutes.
Back to the main dish now, start boiling water for your pasta and in your sauce pan, add in 2 cups of lemon juice and 2-3 tbsp of date syrup or honey. In addition, season to your liking with salt, garlic powder, oregano, stir and cover. After a few minutes, taste it, see what you need to add, and then add in your mint, stir and cover. Cook your pasta, and just continuously check on your sauce. Add in what you think is missing. I found mine needed more salt that I initially needed, but the rest was pretty spot on.
Once everything is cooked, drain the pasta, put it back in its pot and add in your sauce. Its consistency will be more broth like because we didn’t start with a rue, but it’s still delicious! Slice your bread, and serve!
And, thats that! I have a very exciting maternity shoot tonight, and two dogs staring at me because of their Maslow Hierarchy of Needs isn’t being met, and it’s now my job to figure out how I can better serve them.
Live footage of the glamour of being a writer.
As always, thank you for being here! I am so grateful for this space on the internet, and no, I’ll never stop saying that.
Happy St. Patricks Day! You’re welcome for the non corned beef content.
xx,
L