Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp


This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday.  If you plan to stay home and cook, I'd imagine that you're looking for a quick and easy meal, but still something that's a little more special than your typical Tuesday night dinner.  One that allows you to spend some QT with your honey, and one that doesn't take hours of intense preparation.  I've got you covered.  This pasta dish comes together in the amount of time it takes to cook the noodles.  It is quick and easy, uses few ingredients (most of which I bet you already have on hand), yet it seems fancy.  Like something you might order at a cute little bistro.

You start out by quickly sauteing some shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a little butter.  The shrimp is then added, and since it cooks quite quickly, you basically begin building the sauce immediately.  White wine and lemon juice are reduced, then you mix in the mascarpone (yum), a little reserved pasta water, and the pasta itself.  Let it all meld, then give the whole thing a big dose of citrus with some lemon zest.  And then you're done.  Seriously.  Less than 20 minutes.  A creamy, garlicky, citrusy shrimp and pasta dish.  Happy Valentine's Day!


Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp
adapted from Fine Cooking
  • kosher salt
  • 8 oz dried linguine
  • 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 2 Tbs minced fresh chives
  • lemon slices, for serving
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil.  Add the linguine and cook until just al dente, 7 to 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry and toss with half the lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until the foaming subsides.  Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously, until the garlic is just turning brown, about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp and cook about 90 seconds on one side.  Turn the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and add the white wine and half the lemon juice. 

Bring to a boil and cook about 1 minute.  Add the mascarpone, reserved pasta water, and linguine, and toss to coat.  Cook an addtional 1-2 minutes, or until the pasta is well coated and the sauce has thickened.  Mix in the remaining lemon zest and juice, and the chives.  Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately with lemon slices.


13 comments:

Sarah - The Home Cook said...

This looks delicious! I love creamy pasta dishes and anything involving shrimp is OK in my book.

Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) said...

My face hurts from imagining inhaling this.

Kelsey said...

This looks delicious and perfect for a romantic evening in. Thanks, Josie!

Nikki said...

This DOES look like something I could order right out of a cute little bistro! A perfect Vday dinner... :)

Rebekah said...

Yummy!! I love creamy shrimp pasta dishes! :)

jessy said...

I have two containers of mascarpone (how is that possible?) in my fridge. This looks like a really delicious way to use them.

Krissy's Creations said...

I LOVE quick and easy meals that are still delicious. Saving this recipe for sure!

Katie said...

YUM YUM YUM! I'm all about quick fancy pants meals and I love that you added marscarpone in it!

Anonymous said...

What a coincidence! As soon as I saw this on Fine Cooking from their email suggestion last week, I put it on the menu for last night. It came together quickly and was delicious.

Laura said...

This looks amazing! I think this may be our Valentines Day dinner. I love anything with mascarpone!

Anonymous said...

This sounds and looks delicious! I am obsessed with prawns and am slowly learning how to make them myself :)

Tracy @ Daily Deal Blog said...

I would love to try this recipe. A perfect dish for Valentine's Day! Thanks for sharing.

Christine @ Christine's Kitchen Chronicles said...

Goodness gracious this is one of the best dishes that I have ever put in my mouth! Thank you so much for sharing!

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