Sauce of Small Shrimp and Scallions
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 7 or 8 fat garlic cloves, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- About 12 whole Tuscan-style peperoncini in vinegar, drained, seeded, and thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
- 1 pound (about 2 dozen) small shrimp, washed, peeled, and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of scallions cut into thin rounds
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) soft butter, plus 2 tablespoons for finishing
- Hot water from the pasta-cooking pot
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- If you are using dry pasta, start cooking the pasta 5 minutes before you start sauce; if you are using fresh, start the sauce and then put on the pasta to cook at the same time.
- Pour the olive oil into a big skillet, scatter the garlic slices in, and set over medium-high heat.
- Cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is sizzling.
- Scatter the slices of peperoncino in a hot spot; cook for 1 minute; shake the pan now and then.
- Push the garlic and peppers to the side; turn the heat to high.
- Drop the shrimp in the center of the skillet and spread them so theyre not crowded.
- Sprinkle on the salt, and let them sizzle for 1/2 minute.
- Flip the shrimp over, giving the skillet a good toss or stirring and turning them; cook another 1/2 minute or so, until the flesh is just turning opaque.
- Scatter the scallions into the skillet; toss and stir in with the shrimp, for 20 to 30 seconds, just until theyre sizzling.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and cook until it is melted and starts to simmer, 10 to 20 seconds.
- Ladle in 2 cups of boiling pasta water.
- Stir up everything in the skillet, and let the sauce boil for only a moment.
- If the pasta is ready to add, turn down the heat to very low.
- If the pasta is not ready, remove the skillet from the heat immediately; set it back over low heat when you do add the pasta.
- When the pasta is done al dente, scoop it up and drop into the shrimp pan.
- Toss briefly, sprinkle on the parsley, and toss again.
- Remove from the heat, drop the remaining 2 tablespoons butter on top of the pasta, and toss in.
- Serve right away.
- Boiling, salted pasta water is an essential component of skillet pastas, both in the sauce-making stage and in finishing the dish.
- Here are tips for when to add pasta water:
- After youve caramelized all your seasonings and sauce ingredients, add water from the pasta pot as a medium to extract and blend their flavors.
- Add water to prevent scorching if something is browning too fast!
- In a large skillet, liquid will evaporate quickly.
- Replenish the moisture with pasta water whenever needed.
- If your sauce is complete but must wait a while for the pasta to cook, it may thicken.
- Add more water (and bring it to a good simmer) before dropping in the pasta.
- If theres not enough sauce to coat the pasta when youre tossing them together in the skillet, add more water.
- A thin pasta, like capellini or spaghetti, will absorb more liquid than a tubular pasta, so be prepared to add more water as you toss the strands with sauce.
- Remember that the cooking water is salty and starchyqualities that can add seasoning and body during the final cooking of pasta and sauce.
- Linguine
- Cappellini
- Tagliatelle
extravirgin olive oil, garlic, peperoncini, shrimp, salt, scallions, butter, water, fresh italian parsley
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sauce-of-small-shrimp-and-scallions-384428 (may not work)