Purple Shrimp

Wanted to share a tasty recipe for those of you who are preparing for the meatless Fridays coming up...or for those of you who just like good food...either way, this one's a keeper.

1. Cook a pound of your favorite long pasta in salted water to al dente. My trusty fav is always whole wheat spaghetti. Heads up, you'll need some of the cooking water before you drain the pasta.
2. Season 1 lb of medium to large shrimp w/ salt & pepper.

3. While the pasta cooks, heat 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over low heat & brown 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Remove the garlic & reserve.




I know I said garlic slices but my mom keeps me stocked with jars of freshly grated garlic so I take advantage. If you go this route, leave the garlic in for the rest of the recipe. Or you could take an hour detour trying to remove the little bits of garlic. Your choice.


4. Add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 mins. Add 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (or more if you're addicted to heat, like me), 2 sprigs of fresh oregano finely chopped (or roughly 1 tsp of dried), 1/2 cup of white wine, and zest of 1 lemon. Cook for a couple more minutes.
5. Remove skillet from heat. Add a ladle of the starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce then add the juice of 1 lemon. Add the cooked drained pasta and let the noodles absorb the juices for a minute.
6. Add a handful of parsely (chopped), 1 cup of feta cheese crumbles and the reserved garlic slices from step 3 (n/a if you used chopped or grated garlic) and toss everything together.





Salad w/ mushrooms & a little feta on top, balsamic vinegarette & red wine are optional but highly recommended.

If my shrimp look a little purple, no need to adjust your monitor. I didn't have any white wine so I added a splash of the Malbec I was sipping on. Although the dish still came out yummy, the color was a little funky. Enjoy!