Shrimp Scampi

Ok, my blog readers, you are pretty sharp. No, I am not leaving the blog world, just having a little fun with April Fool's Day. I always try to fool my friends and family so why not you guys? Hope you all fooled and got fooled yesterday in the spirit of the day!

Now on to Friday. Happy Friday everyone!! This dinner is one of those dinners that my family loves, has very few ingredients and is super easy.....but for some reason I always forget about it. I've made it about 3-4 times in the last 2 years and each time I make it my Taste Testers are always quietly chowing down.

I got this recipe from my cookbook and it makes quite a bit, so if you want to make less I also found the recipe online which serves 3 people.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

taken from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style

serves 6

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

1 ½ pound linguine

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons good olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)

2 pounds large shrimp (about 32 shrimp), peeled and deveined

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Grated zest of lemon

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)

½ lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.