He has been cooking pasta since he was 10 years old. He is very particular about everything pasta. His favorite type is SPAGHETTI!!!!
T has taught me so much about pasta and Italian culture the last four years.
On our first date, he surprised me by making homemade pesto.
Shocked at finding what was for dinner, I forced a fake smile.
*mai thinking to herself.... "Oh no. I don't like pesto"
I never liked the taste of basil. I always thought it tasted like lipstick. However, that day changed my life forever.
*T served me homemade pesto spaghetti. I took a bite.
"O-M-G. WHAT IS THIS?! THIS DOESNT TASTE LIKE LIPSTICK AT ALL!!! THIS IS AWESOME!"
....and it was love at first bite. T won my belly and my heart.
T's father is from Naples, so T has grown up with a strong Italian influence. He is the real deal, folks. I am always encouraging him to enter some cooking show on TV, like MasterChef Junior.
Bonno! Bonno! Let the cooking commence! Bellisimo! Ciao! Ciao!
-mai
Linguine al nero di seppia con gamberi e pomodorini
Squid ink linguine with shrimp and tomatoes
Ciao. Because I am lazy and do not yet own a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a pasta attachment, I bought the squid ink linguine. I know, for shame! I'll figure how to make the pasta from scratch, but at this point, I'll just settle on store bought. I know, I know, for shame!
Ingredients:
2-3 cloves of garlic (depending on size, 3 smaller ones, 2 larger ones)
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper
Some fresh parsley
Shrimp (I used frozen raw shrimp)
Salt
Pepper
Few cherry tomatoes (around 8)
For Mai and myself, I used half a little over a half of a pack of squid ink linguine, around 250g.
And as always, EVOO. I have been using Trader Joe's California EVOO just as a TMI tidbit.
And it begins...
Heat up a frying pan, big enough to mix the pasta in afterwards, and then add a small amount of EVOO, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add enough crushed red pepper to the oil just to give it a small kick of spice. I've noticed that the spices vary in the amount of heat that they provide. For those that aren't as powerful, add a few more. For those that have more of a kick, add a few less.
Once the crushed red peppers start to sizzle a little bit, add chopped up garlic to the mixture and cook until a light golden brown.
This is the point where you add the halved tomatoes. One of the things I've found, is if you add just a sprinkle of sea salt to the tomatoes and mix them around, it will bring out their sweetness and allow for them to sweat a little bit.
Once the tomatoes start to get a little bit soft, add the shrimp. Shrimp don't take very much time to cook and are easy to over cook, so watch them carefully. Add a splash of white wine right after the shrimp have been added. Once the shrimp are cooked, turn that shit off and throw some fresh parsley and a bit of crushed black pepper on top!
To cook the pasta, boil the water, add salt to taste. It'll seem like a lot of salt in the water, but, it probably isn't. It's ok to taste and add more. Be careful to not add to much. You can always add more as it cooks. For rule of thumb, not so hungry me eats around 100g of pasta. Hungry me will easily crush 150g of pasta. Again, for Mai and me, we used a half a pack, around 250g. Always check to make sure you don't overcook it. I tend to just undercook the pasta when I'm mixing it with a sauce, because it will continue to cook.
Once the pasta is just under done, save a cup of the pasta water, drain it, but not too much, and add it to the sauce. I have an electric stove, so I will move the mixture to the hot burner and mix it around. If you're using a gas stove, first, I'm jealous, second, turn the burner back on on low and mix it around. Most of the sauce should be absorbed into the pasta. If it appears too dry, add some of the saved pasta water.
Last step, eat that pasta!!!
P.S - Please notice that this is the only place that I am mentioning parmesan cheese. When making this dish, please keep the parmesan cheese on the screen and no where near your pasta. Parmesan is delicious and goes great with lots of different sauces, just not this one. Authentic Italian rule of thumb- Parmesan cheese is something that doesn't go on seafood. If you want to sprinkle something on top, how about some crushed black pepper? That would be yummy.
-T
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| HMMMMM...I spy some squid ink pasta. Reminds me of my posh life in Manhattan. HMMMMM... how can I get up on the counter and grab a bite of this decadent dish. HMMMMM... all this thinking is making me hungry. |
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