Pasta with Shrimp, Feta, and Basil

We seem to be doing a lot of pasta lately.  But then again this blog is more about what we eat on a daily basis, and not so much about the special, planned-out exercises you might do on a weekend.  I have done a few themed small-plate dinners though, which I'll talk about another time. In any case, this is one of our favourite dishes - right up there in the top 10, if not top 5.  So easy to make, and great for leftovers as well.  This may sound crazy, but when I take it to work the next day I would put the pasta and shrimp in a tupperware, and the feta, basil, and lemon in a separate tupperware. Microwaving the whole lot ruins the fresh basil and the feta melts into gloop.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Feta, and Basil. The lemon
garnish is not optional!

I'm not sure when we started making this or where we got it from. As usual, it likely was based on something found via web search and then modified for what ingredients we happened to have. I've seen similar recipes after a quick search, although some seem to add what looks to be random spices to differentiate.  I saw one that was loaded with dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder.  Seriously?  Gotta draw the line there.  This one really keeps it simple, focusing on just a few flavours that meld well together.

There are two absolute "must do" things with this dish, otherwise you might as well not bother. First, fresh basil leaves. We get these little basil plants from the supermarket for $2.99. That is the same price as a small plastic container of leaves, but it produces more and lasts longer. No brainer. The second must is the lemon wedge. The spritz of lemon just somehow ties it together. You could arguably substitute goat cheese, and pretty much any pasta really, but the lemon and basil just have to be in there. We only had boxed spaghetti on hand, but fresh linguine or fettuccine would be great. A bit of freshly ground pepper and you're good to go. Forget the tomatoes, never mind the garlic (well, maybe on that), chuck the salt (feta has you covered there), and certainly no parmesan.

Next Time: fresh pasta would be better

Me: 10/10
SO: 10/10
SSO: n/a, but would guess 3/10

Pasta with Shrimp, Feta, and Basil
Ingredients

• For 4 main dish portions, 1-2 oz per person cooked in lots of salted water
• 100-150g of Feta, to your taste
• lots of fresh Basil leaves, maybe 1/2 - 1 cup loosely packed
• approx. 1lb large shrimp (I used 31-35 count, deveined and peeled but tails on)
• juice from half a lemon + lemon wedges
• any old white wine you have in the fridge
• fresh pepper

Method

1. Get a big pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add lots of salt after it starts boiling. Salt will raise the boiling point, but only by about 1 degree F. Adding the salt to the cold water may, over time, slightly damage your pots (if aluminum) by pitting the surface.
2. If you are using boxed pasta, start it cooking right away. If fresh, wait until the shrimp are almost done since fresh pasta cooks so fast.
3. Start cooking the shrimp in a bit of oil, adding a generous splash of white wine and half a lemon of juice. You could add a garlic clove, although I don't for this recipe. The shrimp won't take long, wait until they are pink all the way through.
4. Meanwhile, quickly dice up the feta and tear up the basil leaves.
5. Drain the pasta, and add to pasta bowls or plates.
6. Ladle the shrimp on top with some of the juice, then sprinkle the feta and basil leaves.
7. Finish with a grind of fresh pepper and garnish with a lemon slice.