Pasta Playback

My parents eat at this local restaurant in the town they live in quite often. They are regulars in every sense of the word. The waitresses and owners know them by name, they know their orders by heart and they always sit at the same table. The funniest part about their "regulars" status is that the dish my father eats every time isn't even on the menu. I am not sure how my father ever coerced the chef (who is also the owner) into creating him a special dish, but he did and he has made it for him every time since that first creation.

I didn't know it when I was preparing this recipe, but when I was done I realized that I was looking at a dish that looked very similar to the dish my Dad eats every time at his favorite local restaurant. His pasta dish is prepared with angel hair and doesn't have any cream, but the rest of the ingredients are very similar. I can't wait to try this delicious dish out on my parents to see how it compares to "the usual".

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped (San Marzano)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup clam juice
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 11 to 12 minutes for whole wheat. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. (Ignore the garlic in the picture below. I added it with the shrimp like the original recipe suggested and I found some of the piece burned. In my adapted recipe I added the garlic later in the recipe).

Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes.

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp,

the cooked pasta,

and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Click Here for my Adapted Printable Recipe