Professional chefs and home cooks alike find creative uses for leftovers. His recipes are usually excellent. I had some leftover spaghetti on hand and some frozen shrimp that were starting to develop freezer burn. As a thrifty person, I couldn’t rule out these ingredients and decided to combine them in an original recipe.
When I searched through the crisper drawer of my refrigerator, I found a red bell pepper, a small zucchini, and a yellow onion, all of which go together well. When I checked the pantry shelves I found some rosemary breadsticks imported from Italy. Your dad! I had the makings of a wonderful meal.
I live in the Midwest and fresh fish other than walleye and trout is hard to come by. Supposedly fresh fish is displayed in store windows, but this fish may be frozen fish that has been thawed. Eating frozen, partially thawed, or thawed and refrozen fish can put you at risk of food poisoning.
Years ago I had a breaded fish burger sandwich (frozen fillet) and developed scombroid fish poisoning. To my surprise, gigantic hives appeared on my body. A beehive covered an entire thigh. I have never forgotten this experience and am careful to keep frozen fish totally frozen. If I buy frozen fish, I ask the clerk if it’s really fresh or thawed.
Since this recipe contains a lot of vegetables, I didn’t bother making a salad. If you want to complete the meal with salad, go ahead and do it. Don’t expect a thick sauce with this recipe. Instead, the pasta and shrimp are seasoned with a thin sauce made with butter, wine, and garlic.
Choose a dry white wine that complements the ingredients in the recipe, not overpowers them. My husband and I loved this recipe and I think you will too. Since it’s winter in Minnesota, I warmed up the pasta bowls before serving dinner. Serve this recipe with breadsticks, crusty bread, or garlic toast.
INGREDIENTS
20 large shrimp cooked and frozen
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and cut into half moons
1 small zucchini, quartered and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ strips
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons small capers, drained
1 cup of dry white wine
Parmesan cheese to decorate
METHOD
1. Thaw shrimp according to package directions. Remove the tails and reserve.
2. Coat the skillet with olive oil. Turn the heat to medium.
3. Add onion crescents and cook until soft.
4. Add zucchini and red bell pepper. Cook 5 minutes.
5. Distribute shrimp over vegetable mixture. Add the paste and mix with flip flops to combine. Turn the heat down to low.
6. Season pasta and vegetables with garlic salt, black pepper, butter, and capers.
7. For the white wine on the mixture. Cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
8. Spoon into large soup bowls. Generously garnish with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.