Lemon-y Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta
Sunday was a relaxing day here in the country with not much going on – so I decided to take a little extra time for dinner and make one of David’s favorites - Lemony shrimp with spinach. This is my take on the dish served at Macaroni Grill that we love – shrimp, garlic, spinach, and pine nuts on a bed of angel hair pasta.
If you want to give it a try, you’ll need 20-24 shrimp peeled and de-veined; 4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped; 1 medium size lemon; 2 Tablespoons of olive oil; 1-2 Tablespoons of butter, 3/4 cup chicken broth (fat free) – retain 1/4 cup for later; 1 teaspoon corn starch; and 1/2 cup spinach (if using frozen – defrost but do not cook) – if you are using fresh you’ll need about 1 cup; spaghetti or angel hair for two; 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional).
Before starting on the shrimp bring water to a boil. Put the pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or angel hair) on to cook about 6-8 minutes before the shrimp is completed. If the pasta gets finished before you have the shrimp ready – put 1 Tablespoon olive oil into it and gently stir. This will keep it from sticking together.
To prepare lemony shrimp – saute the garlic in the olive oil until tender. Add in butter, shrimp and juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Cook until the shrimp are pink. Add 1/c cup chicken broth and spinach. Continue to cook over low heat.
If you want to add pine nuts to the recipe; very lightly brown (careful not to burn them) – 1/4 cup in a separate non-stick skillet with a scant 1 tablespoon olive oil and add them in right after the spinach.
In a separate small bowl mix the 1/4 cup chicken broth with the 1 teaspoon corn starch and add to the shrimp, spinach mixture on the stove. This will thicken the sauce. Continue to cook over low heat for another 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Salt to taste.
Serve over cooked pasta - along with toasty garlic bread and a crisp salad. On a personal note – you can decrease the spinach if you don’t want quite so much. David loves shrimp but does not love green veggies - and as this is one way I can get him to eat the green stuff I tend to load it up just a little.
If you have any interest in what else we’re eating (can’t you tell I love cooking) – I’m putting up a new page called Today’s Menu - it will give you an idea of what we’re eating – at least for lunch. Also, still working on my website – I Can’t Believe It’s Sugar Free. It seems to be taking a little longer than I hoped.
