Mediterranean inspired dish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 quarts water
- 1 box uncooked spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons drained capers
- 4 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil divided
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup red and green bell pepper, onion veggie mix (i use frozen fajita veggies
- 1/2 cup asparagus sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- dried basil for garnish
- nutritional yeast for garnishment
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup white wine (more or less to taste)
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
- Carbohydrate 93.6005685214182 g
- Cholesterol 172.3642 mg
- Fat 17.501355381556 g
- Fiber 6.04547838792503 g
- Protein 40.624762812523 g
- Saturated Fat 2.60800379544859 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (1078g)
- Sodium 495.599879131511 mg
- Sugar 87.5550901334932 g
- Trans Fat 1.61930402990837 g
- Calories 704 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add pasta; cook 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done and pasta is al dente.
- Drain.
- While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in med pan and sauté garlic till brown.
- Pour in vegetable broth and add all veggies and red pepper flakes to pan.
- Sauté till thoroughly heated and most of liquid is absorbed.
- Pour in white wine and reduce to a thick sauce.
- Place pasta mixture in a large bowl.
- Stir in basil and next 4 ingredients (through salt).
- Pour in vegetables and toss.
- Place 1/2 cup spinach on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture.
Cooking seafood and pasta together in a restricted window requires careful sequencing to avoid rubbery protein. Three quarts of boiling water support both the spaghetti and the shrimp in a single cooking cycle. Add the shrimp during the final three minutes of the pasta boiling time. This simultaneous finish yields al dente noodles and tender shrimp without dirtying extra pots.
Sautéing the garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil demands medium heat until the cloves turn light brown. Watch the pan closely because minced garlic burns quickly past the golden threshold. Pouring in the vegetable broth and white wine creates the braising liquid for the frozen peas, asparagus, and bell peppers. Reduce this liquid until it thickens into a coating sauce before combining the pan contents with the drained pasta.
Fresh lemon juice and chopped basil brighten the starch just before serving. Fold these aromatics in off the heat to preserve volatile citrus oils and prevent the basil from turning dark green. Plate each portion over a bed of raw baby spinach so the residual heat from the pasta slightly wilts the leaves.
Controlling the Pan Reduction
Sautéing the garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil demands medium heat until the cloves turn light brown. Watch the pan closely because minced garlic burns quickly past the golden threshold. Pouring in the vegetable broth and white wine creates the braising liquid for the frozen peas, asparagus, and bell peppers. Reduce this liquid until it thickens into a coating sauce before combining the pan contents with the drained pasta.
Balancing Freshness and Heat
Fresh lemon juice and chopped basil brighten the starch just before serving. Fold these aromatics in off the heat to preserve volatile citrus oils and prevent the basil from turning dark green. Plate each portion over a bed of raw baby spinach so the residual heat from the pasta slightly wilts the leaves.
