Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Shrimp Pasta with Oven Dried Tomatoes & Fiddleheads

In a spur of a moment decision, Gavin and I decided to host our first mother’s day luncheon.  I think it went pretty well but wish we had a bigger house to entertain people.  Oh well.  We made do with what we had and had the perfect amount of food leftover! 

It’s not hard to say that it was a Mother’s Day well spent.  I wish we would have done this sooner.  It was such a small token of our gratitude and affection but I think it meant a lot to them.  These women have played such a vital role in our lives-it’s hard to say what I would do without them.  Their love, strength and dedication have influenced me in so many ways, I cannot imagine the person I would be without them. So to my mom, Ellen & Sandy-thank you.  You guys are the best!

I’ve always wanted to try fiddleheads, so I was pretty pumped when I saw them at the farmer’s market.  Way cheaper than buying them at the store!  Gavin has tried them before so he knew how to prepare them.  I added them to this pasta and loved how they tasted and felt it gave a more sophisticated feel to the dish. Of course, you could decide to omit them if they are out of season.  The flavor of this dish is simply amazing, and quick to pull off (once the oven dried tomatoes are done)!

Shrimp Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes & Fiddleheads

Makes approximately 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Small pinch of sugar
Kosher salt and pepper

1 pound bowtie pasta (or any kind-whatever you prefer)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ cup chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup vegetable broth

6 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 pound fiddleheads
¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

DIRECTIONS

For the oven dried tomatoes: 
Preheat the oven to 225˚ F.  Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish in a single layer, cut side facing up.  Coat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with  sugar, salt & pepper.  Bake for about 3-3½  hours, or until the tomatoes are mostly shriveled up.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Once boiling, cook pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and return the pasta to the pot.

Bring water in a medium sized stockpot to a boil. Carefully remove the brown scales/dirt from the fiddleheads and wash well under running water. Trim the woody stems. Boil for 8-10 minutes and drain. Set aside.

While the pasta & fiddleheads are cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until opaque. Do not overcook (it will be rubbery).  Place the shrimp on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onion until slightly translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Stir in the  garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.  Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.

Add the cream cheese to the pot with the pasta stir until completely melted.  Stir in the basil, parmesan, tomatoes, onion/broth mixture and shrimp. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully fold in the fiddleheads. Serve immediately.

Source: slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats