Extra Garlicky Shrimp Scampi

You become an adult when you have 3 or 4 recipes you consistently make, each time, calling up a parent to “remind you” how to make it. This Extra Garlicky Shrimp Scampi was one of the first recipes I took on in my adult life. Possibly, because my first time out on my own, without a meal plan, was in New Orleans, where the local catch was Gulf Shrimp. But even more so, because this meal is a breeze to throw together, doesn’t require special kitchen equipment or tools and only calls for a handful of ingredients you can schlep home without a shopping bag. As simple as it was, the first dozen or so times I made Shrimp Scampi, in my 20s, I would call up my dad and have him walk me through it. “How much garlic again?” “When do you add the wine?” “What kind of wine?” As a red wine drinker, he had strong opinions about this: “It doesn’t matter. I don’t drink white wine. It’s just for cooking. Use whatever you have.” For him, that was the remains of a bottle someone left behind in his fridge at the last card game or dinner party he hosted. Works for me.

This is my dad, holding a mail box he made out of wine corks, from bottles he likely enjoyed.

If adulting is calling up your parents to reteach you how to make a recipe, well then middle age is making that recipe repeatedly, in your own way that you’ve come to adapt over the years. I’ve since added the parsley stems to my version of Shrimp Scampi, as a way to infuse more of that herbaceous flavor, and to make use of the whole bunch. I also added shallots. Occasionally, I mix in chopped spinach or kale, to ensure we’re getting a rounded meal. And I wait to add the butter so that it doesn’t risk burning and maximizes its flavor. But when I make Extra Garlicky Shrimp Scampi, I still think of my dad and usually call him to let him know what a delicious dinner I’m having that night, with a crisp glass of Sancerre or Vermentino.

Extra Garlicky Shrimp Scampi

Serves: 4-6

On my list of Culinary Quickie recipes, this meal can be pulled together rapidly, perfect for a weeknight, but is also fancy enough for a dinner party. It’s fast and filling and the recipe is written in such as way as to help you maximize your time in the kitchen.

What You Need:

• 1 pound linguine

• Kosher salt

• 1 bunch parsley

• 1 bunch scallions

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 shallots, sliced, optional

• 5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 head of garlic, about 10-12 cloves, peeled and minced 

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined

• Juice from ½ a lemon

• ½ cup dry white wine

What You Do:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 3 tablespoons of salt. Cook linguine until al dente (usually about 1-2 minutes less than package instructions call for). Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, drain and set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, separate the parsley stems from the leaves. Finely mince the stems and set aside. Finely chop the leaves. Set aside separately. 

3. Trim the scallions of their root ends and frayed tops. Discard tops and ends. Finely slice or mince the white and light green parts. Set aside. Slice the green parts at an angle. Set aside separately.

4. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, add shallots and white/light green scallions and a few pinches of salt. Reduce heat to medium. Sauté until soft,about 2-3 minutes. 

5. Add the butter. When melted, add the garlic, minced parsley stems and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes. 

6. Add the shrimp, a lot more freshly cracked pepper and sauté about 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. (It will depend on the size of the shrimp and their temperature when being cooked.) Transfer the shrimp to a plate or bowl and set aside. 

7. Add the lemon juice and wine, if using. Stir to scrape up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cooked linguine and about ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Gradually add more pasta cooking liquid if needed and cook until sauce is thickened. Return the shrimp to the pan. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Stir in the parsley leaves. 

8. Transfer to a platter and garnish with more parsley leaves, green scallion tops, and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Orecchiette with Spicy Turkey Sausage and Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

What sings, “welcome to the neighborhood,” “welcome home,” or even “welcome to the world”? What do you bring a loved one in need of an easy reheatable hearty meal that has everything in one bite? If you were to cook up all of your love and pack nourishment into a transportable container, what would it be?

Orecchiette with Spicy Turkey Sausage and Garlicky Broccoli Rabe is my love in a casserole dish, except that it’s not a casserole. And that’s what I love most about it. Deliverable meals need not be gloppy cheese-laden casseroles with mystery ingredients. When providing a meal for someone who’s just moved down the street, groggily brought their newborn home, or is recovering from surgery, there are a few criteria you keep in mind:

1. convenience - is the meal ready to eat, essentially, with minimal steps and unfussy fixing?

2. health - is the meal well rounded and going to provide nutrition in the form of all food groups?

3. comfort - somewhat but not always related to #2, does the meal, for all intents and purposes, include a built-in hug?

4. transport - can the meal be easily packaged into a spill-proof & space-saving container without compromising its integrity?

Blanched broccoli rabe being shocked in an ice bath.

I have a few tricks for getting this classic pasta dish just right and perfect for reheating. First, blanch and shock the broccoli rabe. The brief plunge in salted boiling water draws out its bitterness. Add an ice-cold water bath and you’ve also now preserved its green for a more appetizing look even after the 3rd reheat. [Time saver tip: use the same pot of water for cooking the pasta]. Next, use a good quality fresh sausage that is either loose or can be cut out of its casing. If turkey is unavailable, go for chicken (and use more olive oil) or pork, and if your recipient doesn’t like spice, use sweet Italian in place of hot. But avoid that precooked nonsense at all costs. Lastly, you need to under cook the pasta when boiling it. When you finish cooking the orecchiette in the sausage, broccoli rabe, garlic and broth, it will all come together in a flavorful, luscious sauce.

Cool completely before packing it up and don’t forget the Pecorino Romano cheese for sprinkling on top.

Yield: 6 servings

What You Need:

• Kosher salt or sea salt

• 1-2 bunches broccoli rabe

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 pound spicy Italian turkey sausage, loose or removed from casing

• 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

• 1 pound orecchiette or other sturdy pasta

What You Do:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous palmful of salt.

2. Trim off and discard the ends of the broccoli rabe. Roughly chop broccoli rabe into 1-inch long pieces. Drop into the salted boiling water. Boil 1 minute. Do not drain the water. Scoop out broccoli rabe and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water or run under very cold water. Drain and set aside. Bring the pot of water back to a boil.

3. Heat a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the sausage and break up into small bits with a wooden spoon. Tip the pan to gather a pool of oil or sausage fat. To the fat, add garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté 30 seconds and stir. Continue to sauté until sausage is fully cooked and no longer pink.

4. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add the stock to the pan and cook until reduced by about half.

5. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water, stir and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than package instructions for dry pasta.

6. Add the sausage back to the sauté pan. Add the broccoli rabe. 

7. Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup pasta cooking water. Transfer drained pasta to the sauté pan with 2-3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Cook and stir it all together, about 2-3 minutes, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed. 

8. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and serve with grated cheese if desired.