Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta...A Gourmet Evening

This Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta is a great dish for entertaining as most of it can be prepped ahead of time.  It's a delicious combination of flavors with the addition of capers, thyme, tomato and lemon. With the shrimp being grilled, rather than sauteed, it adds another nice dimension of flavor.  It also gave my husband a way to help with the food preparation by doing the grilling!

Last weekend, we hosted our Gourmet Group.  I am so thankful that we had the weather we did, as the heat this weekend would have made al fresco dinner almost impossible.  Everyone commented on how magical the night was. Perfect temperature and no mosquitoes! I served this Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta and everyone loved it.  It was light and summery and we served grilled vegetables on the side which were prepped earlier in the day and served at room temperature.  I had be working on the recipe for two weeks ahead of time and kept tweaking it until we both thought it was perfect.

Our group consists of 5 couples. The host and hostess prepare the menu and send a printed version to each couple, with their assignment of one of the courses.  It's crazy, but we have been doing this for 25 years!  At least 3 of the couples, including my husband and I, have been in the group that long, with the 4th couple joining a few years later after one couple moved because of a job change, and the 5th couple has been with us for the past 10 years.  They replaced a couple that moved out-of-state after retirement. Hopefully, we can continue our tradition together for many more years to come :)

I was so happy that our friends were able to see my clematis collection in full bloom when they were here!  You can see the table above was also surrounded by clematis also and the evening air had a lovely scent.  With the heat wave we're having this weekend, we are so relieved that our dinner party was on such a beautiful night.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Printable Recipe

Serves 6

1-1/2 pounds dried pasta (I used Capellini)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
Zest and juice of 2 organic lemons
5 tablespoons salted butter

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Do Ahead Notes:

1. Pasta can be boiled, rinsed under cool water and drained in the morning. Under-cook slightly. Toss with a little olive oil and place in a zipper lock bag in the refrigerator until 1 hour before assembly. When ready to start dinner, heat a large pot of boiling water and add the already-cooked pasta for 1 minute, just long enough to heat through, and then add to a large saute pan along with the heated sauce and grilled shrimp.

2. Sauce can be made in the morning. Refrigerate until 1 hour before assembly. When ready to start dinner, reheat sauce in a large saucepan or microwave until heated. I like to double the sauce and pass extra sauce at the table.

3. Shrimp can be peeled and deveined a day ahead. Keep in a bowl with fresh ice on top, covered, in the refrigerator.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Skewer shrimp and brush with oil and lemon juice or extra sauce, if you have made it ahead. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes to an hour. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from skewers and set aside.

Sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and sauté for another minute. Pour in the wine, lemon juice and zest, and reduce for a at least five minutes or so. Then add the diced tomatoes and capers, S&P, stir and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in butter.

Add the shrimp and pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. If needed, thin the sauce with a little of the pasta cooking water. Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in half of the parsley.

Divide the pasta between plates and top with the remaining fresh parsley and thyme. Pass extra sauce at the table.

Baby Romaine Salad with Creamy Pistachio Dressing

Can it be August already? I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful summer!

A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our Gourmet Group of 5 couples.  It's always a challenge to come up with a delicious and unique menu from year to year as everyone loves to cook and the menus are always top-notch.  The host and hostess send each couple the entire menu with recipes. Each couple is assigned one recipe to prepare and bring to the dinner and the host and hostess provide the main course, a side dish and all the wine and beverages.

After the first course, which was a refreshing Spanish almond, cucumber and grape gazpacho, this delightful salad was served. Not too difficult to prepare, it was not only delicious but the baby romaine, or Little Gem lettuce, looked adorable on the plate.  The creamy pistachio dressing, toasted pistachios and sliced radishes added even more crunch and was a delightful combination of flavors.

I found the salad recipe in the cookbook "Taste and Technique" by Naomi Pomeroy, which was a birthday gift from a friend this past spring.  The cookbook is loaded with great recipes that I can't wait to try and I was delighted when I found this special salad recipe to add to our Gourmet Group menu!  I hope to bring you at least one or two more recipes from our gourmet menu soon!

So what else have I been doing since my last post?  Hosting our three grandsons numerous times for swimming and overnights...

Celebrating our anniversary at a wonderful seafood restaurant on the lakefront in downtown Milwaukee.  It was a lovely summer evening on the patio with a view to the west of the Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum and, to the east, of the inner Lake Michigan harbor...

And, of course, I've been enjoying my garden and all the sunny yellow blooms this year :)

Baby Romaine Salad with Creamy Pistachio Dressing

Printable Recipe

Serves 4

For the Vinaigrette:

3 teaspoons minced shallot

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup raw, unsalted shelled pistachios (regular salted, shelled pistachios work fine but cut back on additional salt)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1-1/4 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup aioli (mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise with 1 minced garlic clove and 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice)

3 tablespoons pistachio oil (optional)

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

1-1/2 teaspoons minced tarragon

3 teaspoons minced chives

3 teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar

To make the vinaigrette:

Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the shallot in a small mixing bowl, cover with the vinegar. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and set aside to macerate for about 10 minutes.

Spread the pistachios on a small baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Roughly chop the pistachios and divide them into two batches of 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the macerated shallot and its liquid, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, the lemon zest and juice, the aioli, the pistachio oil, and the crème fraiche or sour cream.

At this point, the salad can be refrigerated until ready to use.

Before serving, add the minced herbs and whisk again. Taste and season with pepper and sugar, if necessary.

For the Salad:

2 large or 4 small heads Little Gem Lettuce (regular romaine would also work using the pale, inner head)

2 radishes

Flaky finishing salt

Freshly ground black pepper

To make the Salad:

Trim off the base of each lettuce leaving the head intact. Cut each head of lettuce in half vertically and place in a large bowl of water to clean thoroughly. Drain on paper towels and spin out any remaining water in a salad spinner.

Slice the radishes thinly and place in a bowl of ice water. Store in refrigerator. Dry well with paper toweling before serving.

To serve, stir 1/2 cup of the chopped pistachios into the vinaigrette. Arrange lettuces on plates and spoon the vinaigrette equally over each lettuce half. Top with the radish slices, remaining chopped pistachios.  Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and some freshly ground pepper and serve.

Adapted from Taste and Technique by Naomi Pomeroy.