Shrimp Pasta

Recipe No: 188
My husband loves Cajun Shrimp Pasta, which he orders no matter what kind of a restaurant he is in… American, Italian or even a Steak house!!! It is slightly hot due to the Cajun spices, which I decided to imitate with the usual spices in my kitchen.

Ingredients                                          Serves 2

• Any kind of Long Pasta….100 grams (I used multigrain Angel Hair Pasta)
• Olive Oil……………………....2 Tablespoons
• Shallots chopped…………..4 big ones
• Garlic chopped………….…..3 big ones
• Heavy Cream………………..1 Cup
• Tomato chopped…………...1/2 big
• Dried Basil, Thyme and Oregano…1/4 Teaspoon each (Optional; will taste good without too)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

To marinate the Prawns

• Raw Shrimp……………….15 big ones (Remove shells and veins, wash and dry)
• Black Pepper Powder…..1/2 Teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder………1/2 Teaspoon (Paprika or Kashmiri Chilly Powder is the best)
• Salt………………………..…1/2 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the Pasta as per the instructions on its cover (The cooking time will vary with type, brand and shape of the Pasta) in lots of salted Water. Don’t cook it too much as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Drain it and reserve ½ Cup Pasta cooking Water for later use.
2. Marinate the cleaned Shrimp with the ingredients mentioned in the marinade section and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Heat Olive Oil in a pan on medium high heat and fry the Shrimp till just cooked for about a minute on each side.
4. To it add Shallots and Garlic and saute for a minute stirring constantly.
5. Add  Cream and the Pasta Water that we reserved and let it boil.
6. Add Salt and Pepper to taste and once boiled thoroughly, add the cooked Pasta and let it boil on high heat for a minute or two till the sauce is reduce to the amount you want. (I like to have some sauce left, as the Pasta tends to absorb more sauce as it sits.)
7. Off the heat and add chopped Tomato and the dried herbs (if using); mix once more and serve hot.

Notes:

• Cook Pasta slightly less and let it finish cooking in the Sauce which will make it taste good.
• If you don’t have dried herbs use fresh Basil or Thulsi if possible.
• A good healthy substitute for Cream is white sauce. If you decide to go with that then, add a Tablespoon of Flour to the pan after sauteing the Garlic and Shallots; fry till the raw smell is gone; add a cup of Milk and stir till it thickens on low heat. Then follow the rest of the procedure of adding Pasta and the cooking liquid. (But I will suggest use Cream at least once to know its real taste!!)
• Add Tomato only at the end to prevent it from mashing.
• If you have more than one stove, then you can multitask making this dish. Start to boil the Water and then clean and marinate the Shrimp, followed by preparing the Shallots and Garlic. Once you drop the Pasta, make the sauce in another stove. That way, you can drop the Pasta in the sauce as soon as it is drained, which I think is important as the Pasta tends to absorb more sauce when it is hot.

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…