Pasta with Shrimp in a wine sauce and Pesto

The summer is in full swing and the garden grows. Traditional recipes are best in season. The herbs and vegetables are full of flavor. A traditional recipe prepared in season with homegrown products is without comparison. Our basil plants are doing incredibly well. They are about 15 cm high and the leaves are huge but supple. This has made me think back to my days in Chiavari, on the Costa Azzura. Liguria is patria of pesto. Pesto is used to compliment or accentuate numerous dishes.

Raffaella loves seafood. She has been talking about a good fish dinner for some time. Since I am doing most of the cooking these days and fish is not one of my passions, I have always found a different solution. I learned long ago that a woman satisfied makes for a happy relationship. I delved into the archives of my mind to find something with fish and pesto. Recently we had prepared a reduced wine sauce with Mussels. Thus a perfect solution came to mind, Shrimp in a wine sauce with pesto. We drank Pinot Grigio with dinner but Vermentino, Verdicchio, Greco di Tufo, Fiano and Falanghina are good choices.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Raw Peeled Shrimp
3 tbs. Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic
1 cup White Wine
Salt and Pepper

1 cup Pesto Genovese
1 lbs. Long Pasta (Spaghetti, Fettucine, Tagliatelle)

Preparation:

The time to prepare the shrimp in wine sauce should be about the same as boiling the pasta. Bring abundant salted water to a boil. Check the time for the pasta to cook. It will be somewhere between 10 and 13 minutes.

Place a large skillet over high flame. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pan. Salt and pepper the oil. Allow the garlic to sauté on both sides at high temperature.

Add the Shrimp and cook for two minutes stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the wine and reduce the wine for 10 minutes. This should be the same amount of time required to cook the pasta.

Drain the pasta. Pour the pasta into the pan with the shrimp. Stir together well.

Pour the pasta and shrimp into a large bowl and add the pesto. Stir together well and serve immediately.

Tags: Italian Recipes Liguria Pesto Shrimp Pasta Gourmet Foods Travel Italy