Shrimp And Fennel With Pasta Shells
- 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 -5 garlic cloves
- 1 lb med-large shrimp, shelled & deveined (shrimp should be about the same size as your pasta shells)
- 2 cups medium pasta shells (cooked volume should approximately equal volume of shrimp)
- 1 large fennel bulb, with greens (or 2 med)
- salt
- red pepper flakes
- 1/8 cup fine grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- In a large pot bring water to a boil. If you have them handy, toss in a few shrimp shells to flavor the water. Be sure to remove them before putting in the pasta.
- Cook pasta according to manufacturer's directions.
- Remove & drain cooked pasta from water with slotted spoon, reserving about 2 cups of liquid.
- Bring another pot of water to boil to blanch the fennel.
- While the water is heating, cut the greens off the fennel, remove the tough outer layer and quarter the bulbs. Keep the greens.
- Blanche fennel for 30-seconds to 1 minute in boiling water.
- Finely chop the leafy greens for use as a garnish.
- Slice blanched fennel bulb to pieces about the same size as the shrimp.
- In a large saute pan heat olive oil over med-high heat.
- Slice/dice/crush garlic & saute in hot oil (the finer the garlic, the stronger the flavor. For very mild flavor, slice the garlic thick & remove before adding any other ingredients).
- Add shrimp and some pepper flakes to pan. Cook shrimp in oil, about 1 minute each side.
- Remove shrimp from pan.
- Add fennel pieces to pan, and saute for 1-2 minutes with pepper flakes to taste.
- Reduce heat to med and add pasta to pan, along with 1 1/2 cup of pasta water. The pasta water will form a creamy sauce.
- Stir while cooking about 2 minutes. If sauce cooks down too quickly or is not enough, add more pasta water.
- Add salt and pepper flakes to taste.
- Add shrimp back & stir to evenly coat with sauce.
- Just before serving toss in about 2 tablespoons of chopped fennel greens and parmesan cheese. Make any final salt/pepper adjustments.
- Serve garnished with additional fennel greens.
olive oil, garlic, shrimp, pasta shells, fennel bulb, salt, red pepper, parmesan cheese
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-and-fennel-with-pasta-shells-118934 (may not work)