Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp (Cook's Illustrated)

July & August 2012

• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon) [I might just start micro-planing this shit from now on unless it seems I can get away with a somewhat chunky product.]
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• 2 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 ounces spaghettini or thin spaghetti, broken into 1- to 2- inch lengths [I found pre-cut spaghetti]
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped fine [I suppose I thought I could get away without the latter and be lazy]
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon wedges
• 1 recipe Aïoli (optional) [Probably would've been tempted to make this for the first time if I wasn't just cooking for myself]
  

Mise en place.


Pasta tossed in olive oil.


Toasted in a broiler-safe skillet until brown, nutty in aroma, and the color peanut butter.


Softening and browning onions.


Add and cook tomatoes until thick, dry, and slightly darkened in color.


Add garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, and anchovy paste and cook until fragrant.
Stir back in the pasta. Strain quick broth (shrimp shells, water, chicken broth and bay leaf microwaved in oven for 6 minutes) into skillet and add wine, salt, and pepper.
Cook pasta until just tender.


Stir in shrimp (marinated in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper) into the dish and broil until shrimp are opaque and surface of pasta is dry with crisped, browned spots.


The aïoli probably would've taken this over the top, but I wasn't going to pull out all the stops for myself.
The dish is traditionally made with short, straight fideos (I've only ever seen the long, bunched-up kind) and cooked for hours, but Cook's Illustrated loves to streamline things and pulled this off well.

Paprika Peppers or Lesco (HCEV)

I don't typically cook pasta these days, but I've cooked two new pasta dishes that I'll totally make again the future. Given the Mark Bittman variations I used the dish should be called Smoked-Paprika Peppers with Sour Cream.

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika [I use Pimenton Picante, which is probably the opposite of sweet paprika]
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 medium bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
• 4 roma tomatoes (drained canned are fine), cored and chopped
• 1 cup sour cream [I just used what was left over in the tub from Beef Stroganoff]

Mise en place


Cook onions and garlic until soft for only a couple minutes.


Adding the paprika and salt and pepper. You cook this over low heat without disturbing it for five minutes. And cover it but I forgot that part at this stage.


Added the peppers and went through the same procedure but remembering the lid.


Ditto with the tomatoes.


Really tasty, but probably too short in protein to be considered a whole meal. From the first few bites, I knew I would make this again.