I was inspired by How Sweet’s yummy looking arugula pesto, and could not wait to try it. BUT, I sometimes forget, in this relatively small town, finding items like arugula is next to impossible (also hard to find: tahini, gruyere and exotic mushrooms). So, I decided to make my own basil and sun-dried tomato pesto and pair it with her crispy shrimp and was not disappointed!
You will notice the photo shows pine nuts and the recipe instructions do not, well my toasting turned those suckers in to LBTs – little black things, my term for really burning something. Doesn’t LBT sound better than charred and burnt beyond recognition?
Place 8 sun-dried tomatoes and two tablespoon of the olive oil from their jar, a cup of basil leaves and two chopped cloves of garlic into your food processor or blender. Add olive oil in tablespoon quantities until you have a smooth texture (it should be thick). Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup grated parmesan and 4 tablespoon of heavy cream (feel free to add more or less cream depending on how naughty, I mean, creamy you like your pasta sauce).
After your pesto is complete, make sure your water is boiling and you have thrown your pasta of choice in it: I used Whole wheat fusilli (follow package directions for cooking the pasta)! While your pasta is cooking, prepare your crispy shrimp! Make sure your shrimp are dry ( I laid mine out on a paper towel, sprinkled them with the salt and pepper garlic powder mix and added them to a small bowl to coat them with flour. Add the shrimp to a large skillet and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add the shrimp to the pasta and top with pesto.
The crispy shrimp and this pesto; match made in heaven!
Pesto Ingredients
Two servings of your pasta of choice
8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 tbs Sun dried tomato Oil (from the jar)
2 garlic cloves
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
4 tbs Heavy Cream (or more depending on your preference)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Directions
Cook the pasta according to package directions.Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until a paste is formed. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan and heavy cream.
Crispy Shrimp From How Sweet
1 pound raw, deveined shrimp (tails removed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Make sure shrimp is clean and completely dry. Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder and sprinkle it over the shrimp. Add the flour to a small bowl, and dredge the shrimp through the flour to get a very light coating on it. Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shrimp and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain cooked pasta and add pasta to the shrimp. Top with pesto. To serve, garnish with fresh Parmesan.
Amelia
Amanda
Briana
