Thank God I'm Not Allergic to Shellfish

I've been blessed.  I've been blessed to not be allergic to shellfish.  I cannot say the same thing for half my family.  While my mother and one of my brothers can enjoy shrimp and lobster and all of the deliciousness they have to offer, my dad and other brothers are afflicted with an allergy that I don't think I could live with, I could eat shrimp and lobster every day.  I should make this happen.

So its been really hot in LA lately and I thought I'd cook something a little lighter and perhaps more "summery" (whatever that actually means).  I came across a recipe for shrimp pasta with tomatoes, lemons and spinach.  This seemed to fit my "summery" description.  Maybe its not summery at all, maybe summery isn't even an actual word, at this point I've decided I like the word so I'm keeping it.  Take that.

Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Spinach

- 1/2lb extra large shrimp, thawed and peeled
- 2tsp lemon zest
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme chopped
- 1 sprig fresh oregano chopped
- 4 basil leaves torn (recipe called for 2, I like basil so I used more)
- 2Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2lb angel hair pasta










In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp with the crushed red pepper, half the lemon zest and the chopped herbs.  Toss it around and make sure the shrimp get coated nicely.  And then set it aside.  (Small side note, peeling shrimp is extremely smelly business, be prepared)

In a big skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, then add the tomatoes and the rest of the lemon zest.  Cook for about two minutes.  Let's pause for a second to talk about how good sautéed garlic smells, very good, ok moving on.







Add the shrimp and cook for about 5 or so minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.  Be sure to keep tossing the shrimp so both sides cook.

So far this is one of the easiest recipes I've tackled.  A lot of ingredients, but nothing too fancy going on.  Everything is making sense, no complaints from me.

Backing up for a second, before you start on the shrimp, boil some water for the angel hair pasta.  if it boils right about the time you are putting the shrimp on you will have mastered the timing of this dish.  And if I may say so, I mastered this dish.  I made this dish my....it went well.

When the water boils throw the pasta in there.  I would have assumed this was obvious, but I teach for a living and I've learned never assume people can get from point A to point B without holding some hands.

Once the pasta is cooked drain all but about 1/2 cup of the water and add the shrimp mixture to the pasta as well as the spinach.  Add the lemon juice too!  Rather than measure out the lemon juice I just used the lemon I had taken the zest from and squeezed the whole thing in there.  It seemed to me to be the perfect amount of lemon flavor, not too strong, not too weak, just right.

Add a little salt and pepper to taste and of course, fresh parmesan.  Sit back enjoy, then talk about how awesome I am for bringing you this recipe.  Even though I got it from someone else.  It was really delicious, and I will definitely be making this again.