Shrimp with Farmer's Market Pasta

One of my coworkers has been bringing in zucchini from his garden – big monstrosities, the size of my arm – and I’ve been coming up with ideas to use them. Last week I simply sautéed zucchini ribbons with olive oil and feta, but on Sunday night I wanted something heartier. I remembered reading a great recipe in Gourmet magazine, so I followed their general guidelines and adapted it to what I found in the farmer’s market and added a bit of protein (I used shrimp; this would have also been nice with simple shredded roast chicken). Toasted some sourdough with a good olive oil & balsamic dip, and it was a full meal, without feeling at all heavy. In fact, the vegetable to pasta ratio makes this dish pretty virtuous! 

Ingredients

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 40 min

Pasta

3 tbsp crushed garlic

3 tbsp Red wine vinegar 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

1 quart cherry tomatoes, halved length-wise or quartered, if large 

2-3 ears of sweet corn, depending on size 

1 big zucchini 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 bag Lemon Pepper Pappardelle (Trader Joe’s), or other wide flat pasta 

1/4 pound sugar snap peas, halved diagonally 

1 cup small basil leaves, torn if large 

1/2 cup mint leaves 

1/3 cup snipped chives 

parmesan, to finish it off

Shrimp

1 lb thawed uncooked shrimp, shelled

1/4 c olive oil

1 tsp crushed garlic

1/3 c white wine, whatever you’re drinking

dash crushed red pepper, if desired

Tools

Big pot o’ water

Medium skillet pan

Colander

Vegetable peeler

Garlic, vinegar and olive oil

Start boiling a few quarts of water, and while that’s bubbling, shuck your corn and make sure your shrimp are thawed. Whisk together the crushed garlic (I buy it jarred, saves me from needing fresh cloves all the time), vinegar and 1/3 cup olive oil in a large bowl. Salt and pepper judiciously.

Chopping cherry tomatoes

Halve your cherry tomatoes, slice your red onion, and add those veggies to the garlic mixture. 

Making zucchini ribbons

Once water is boiling, put the ears of corn in (for 6 minutes) and make sure your snap peas are halved on the diagonal. Rinse the zucchini, lop off the top and bottom so it stands up straight on the cutting board, and use the vegetable peeler to peel ribbons of zucchini. Don’t use the seedy core, just the flesh around it. Put the zucchini ribbons and snap peas in a separate bowl. Remove the corn but keep the water boiling.

Your two prep bowls: tomato/corn/onion/garlic and zucchini/snap pea

When the corn has cooled, cut off the top of the cob so it will stand up on the cutting board and run your knife down the edge of the cob, cutting off the corn kernels. Add the corn to the tomato/onion mixture, and stir well.

Adding the herbs

Then snip the chives, tear off basil and mint leaves, and add them to the top of the tomatoes but don’t mix it… the herbs will wilt. 

The simmering shrimp

Now turn back to the stove. Into your boiling water add your pasta (keep an eye on the clock). Heat up the skillet with the olive oil and garlic until fragrant. When oil is hot add your shrimp. Flip them after they JUST turn pink on the bottom, once flipped, add the wine to the pan and let simmer for a couple minutes. Top with crushed red pepper, then remove from heat before the shrimp get gummy (no more than 6 minutes for this entire process). 

The finished product!

Once your pasta is nearly done – after about 8 minutes – add the zucchini/snap pea mixture to the boiling water. Let it all boil together for about 45 seconds, then drain the entire mixture in the colander. Pour the pasta/veg mixture back into the large empty pot (do NOT return it to heat), add in the shrimp skillet, and finally the bowl of tomato/corn/onion/herbs. Mix it all together, add more olive oil if it needs it, and salt/more crushed red pepper to taste. Top with freshly grated parmesan, and serve with toasted bread. Bon Appetit!! 

Everything's better with sourdough

Nutritional info (1 Serving):
510 calories per serving. Fat 15g Cholesterol 53.6mg Sodium 87.7mg Carbohydrates 72.4g Fiber 8.3g Sugars 13.6g Protein18.4g