In my house, the holy trinity for summer is: Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella. These three things scream summer, and are so good on Bruschetta, in pasta, and just chopped up on a plate. I eat so much of these ingredients that occasionally, around about September 1st, I start to actually crave winter root veggies. Saying that on June 13th, however, it seems impossible; especially since I know that the tomatoes are just going to get better and better. (Speaking of which, I had my first fried green tomato Saturday night at Alana's - YUM!!! The first fried green tomato usually coincides with the first firefly sighting, and the first wearing of skimpy shirts to show off my pasty arms - woo hoo!)
Husband and I were starving, and I had spent the whole morning near a hot oven and the restaurant, so I added a little shrimp for some protein to augment the veggies and cheese. Chicken would, of course, work just as well.
Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil, & Mozzarella - serves 3, or one average girl + Husband
6 ounces whole wheat linguine
olive oil or olive oil spray
1/2 red onion, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1/2 sweet white onion, sliced
8 ounces wild-caught raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp Cayenne powder
salt
4 Roma tomato concasse (or just chopped, see note)*
2 TBSP butter, totally optional
6 fresh mozzarella boccatini (small balls) or 1 large, roughly chopped
large handful basil leaves, at least 1/2 cup loosely packed, cut into chiffonade
To make tomato concasse*, cut an X into the opposite of the stem end and place the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for THIRTY SECONDS!!! Then remove them and set aside for a few minutes, until they are cool enough to handle. When they have cooled, remove the skin by peeling from the X. Cut in half and remove the seeds and rib; chop roughly and set aside.
In the same pot, cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, preheat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil, heat for a minute and add the diced red onion, sweating for about 3 minutes, and then add the garlic; reduce the heat to prevent garlic from burning. Sweat for about 2 more minutes, and then add the sliced sweet onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Move your onions and garlic to the edge of the pan, turn the heat back up to medium and add the shrimp; sprinkle with the salt and cayenne pepper and saute until the shrimp are almost cooked through, then add the butter, if using (it isn't necessary at all, but does add a nice richness) and the tomatoes. Cook while you drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Add the chopped mozzarella and toss to coat the pasta, pour into bowls and cover with basil. If it seems dry at all, you might want to drizzle just a touch of really good olive oil over the top, and then sprinkle with good salt. YUM! Summer is here!
*A note on tomato concasse - it is totally unnecessary to do this step, however, I did it to prove to a coworker of mine just how easy it is to do after he told me he messed it up (okay, a little vengeful, but still). Also, sometimes tomato skins are unpleasant in pasta and I really do prefer it without them, and I find it worth the extra step. You can easily leave the seeds and pulp in and it will be just fine.
