Linguine with Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

This was a very quick and simple dish to put together. The most time consuming part of this recipe was  peeling the shrimp. Otherwise it's an easy dinner to put on the table after work.

Don't be afraid of the marscarpone cheese if you haven't tried it yet. It's an Italian triple-cream cheese. Kinda like a creamier cream cheese. I find it in the gourmet cheese section on my local grocery stores. Substitutions are listed below if you can't find it.

This recipe came from the December 2010 issue of Fine Cooking Magazine.

LINGUINE WITH LEMON-GARLIC SHRIMP
(Fine Cooking Magazine)

Kosher Salt
1/2 lb. dried thin linguine
1 lemon
1 lb. extra-large (28 to 30 per pound) shrimp; peeled and deveined
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced (1 Tbs.)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tbs. thinly sliced chives

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the linguine in the boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve about 3/4 cup of the cooking water and then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, finely grate 1 1/4 tsp. of zest from the lemon and squeeze 2 Tbs. of juice. Toss the shrimp with 1/2 tsp. of the zest and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper.

In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic just begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice, bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, 1 minute.

Add the drained pasta, mascarpone, and 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Toss well, adding more cooking water as needed, until the pasta and shrimp are coated and the sauce looks creamy. Remove from the heat. Toss in the remaining 3/4 tsp. lemon zest and the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 3

Note: Couldn't find 26 to 30 count shrimp so I used the 30-40. I cooked them a little less than required. The photo in the magazine looked like they left the tail on. If the shrimp had been bigger I probably would have left them on, but with the size I used I figured it was just easier to peel and take the tail off.

Note: I didn't add any additional pasta water past the 1/2 cup requested.

Note: Definitely needed some salt and pepper to taste after

Note: To substitute for marcarpone: Blend 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup whipping cream. OR Blend 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup cream OR Blend 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/8 cup whipping cream and 1/8 cup sour cream.

This will probably go into regular rotation. I always have everything on hand except maybe the marscapone.

Comments

[discount golf]

Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so, Excellent post!

[Seared Tuna]

I have never been partly cooking for me.http://www.vivamagonline.com/index.php But when dad and mom go out of station i used to get bored of cooking,I think your recipe gives a wonderful feeling to cook...

[Carolyn Jung]

Oooh, mascarpone cheese! I bet that makes this pasta dish super luscious. ;)

[Jenny]

YUM! I wish my husband ate shrimp. I might just have to make this for myself when he's on duty.

[MOM]

This almost sounds like scampi which you know I love, love, How come you did not bring me a taste of this? When you make this again, invite me over and make lots.

[Chris]

Fantastic, it is like a creamy scampi.

[Livin Local]

Sounds delicious! Love the idea of mascarpone cheese. Um, do you deliver on weeknights?

[Mrs. L]

Carolyn - It was my first really savory use of mascarpone and I really liked how it worked in the dish.

Jenny - Hey, if Mr. L wasn't around, I would have eaten it all myself :)

Mom - I'll make extra next time.

Chris - It honestly wasn't that creamy, but the mascarpone did give it that little bit of creamy that stuck to the noodles and made this a bit decadent.

Livin Local - Hey, you bring me deep fried pizza, I'll bring you this!

[Arch]

This looks awesome, I am going to try this one...! =)