Farfalle With Shrimp, Asparagus And Parmesan
serves 2-4
The Italians don't believe in adding cheese to fish dishes, but we find it adds excitement to this shrimp pasta made with asparagus, tomato purée and lemon zest. Be sure to season this dish with lots of freshly ground black pepper.
1/2 pound farfalle
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 pound shrimp (thawed if frozen), peeled
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup tomato purée
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
prep: 10 minutes
total: 35 minutes
large pot
sauté pan
grater
colander
tongs
1. Bring a pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. When the pasta is 5 minutes from being done: In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the oil and season them lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and leave them alone to brown on the first side, 1-2 minutes. Turn them with tongs and brown them another 1-2 minutes on the second side. Remove the shrimp to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil and the asparagus to the empty pan. Season the asparagus with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Leave them alone to brown, 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan, along with the tomato purée and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Reduce the heat to medium.
4. Add the pasta and lemon zest to the pan. Simmer the pasta with the sauce until the sauce has thickened and coats the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan.
