Shrimp can be heroic in this recipe for linguine
In chef Jamie Oliver’s newest cookbook, “Jamie Oliver 7 Ways” (Flatiron Books, $35), he offers recipes using 18 “hero ingredients,” everything from broccoli to chicken breast, pasta to steak. To determine which topics were heroes, week after week he looked around at shoppers’ grocery carts, searching out the most widely used staples. The hero recipes he created use a maximum of eight ingredients (common items such as oil, salt and pepper aren’t figured into the count), and nutritional breakdown information is included with each dish.
Shrimp is one of Oliver’s topics, including a recipe for creamy shrimp linguine. The formula finely chops most of the shellfish, leaving 2 whole shrimp to look enticing. The finely chopped shrimp imbue the dish with lovely flavor. He includes smoked pancetta or bacon. Smoked pancetta is a little tricky to find. With pleasing results, I have substituted unsmoked pancetta — which is available in lots of large supermarkets — and I’ve also used bacon. The dish is finished with baby arugula and a kiss of red wine.
Creamy Shrimp Linguine
Yield: 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
5 1⁄4 ounces dried linguine 2 garlic cloves
5 1⁄2 ounces raw, peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp 4slices smoked pancetta or bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil 3tablespoons dry red wine 1 heaping tablespoon mascarpone cheese; see cook’s notes 11⁄4 ounces baby arugula 1⁄2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese, plus more if desired for garnish
Cook’s notes: Mascarpone is an Italian soft cheese that resembles cream cheese. At my local supermarket it is sold in small plastic containers and stocked next to the soft cheeses in the specialty cheese case.
PROCEDURE
1: Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice garlic. Run your knife down the back of 2 shrimp so they’ll butterfly as they cook (don’t cut all the way through), then finely chop the rest of the shrimp.
2: Put a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Finely slice pancetta or bacon, sprinkle into the pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry until lightly golden. Toss in garlic and whole shrimp and cook 2 minutes, then add wine and let cook until most of wine evaporates. Add chopped shrimp and mascarpone and cook 1minute. Using tongs, drag pasta from cooking pot into the skillet, letting a little of the starchy cooking water go in with it. Coarsely chop arugula, add most of it to the pan and toss together over the heat to make a silky sauce. Subtly season to perfection with Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
3: Serve sprinkled with reserved arugula and, if you like, extra grated Parmesan cheese.