(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
"We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”
— Maya Angelou
Nothing could be further from the truth, especially during Earth Day. Carlos' Food & Wine presents a special recipe and wine pairing posting featuring organic and sustainable ingredients, including the grapes for the wines, the farm-raised shrimp, and even the delicious home grown herbs, all featured here.
As we get into warmer weather, there's nothing more appetizing than seafood, more satisfying than pasta and more delicious than an ice-cold Pinot Grigio.
Some Italian goodness coming your way.
Let‘s get cooking!
Menu: Shrimp with Pinot Grigio cream sauce with basil-lemon spaghettini.
Wine pairing: Alverdi Pinot Grigio, Colli Aprutini, Italy
Serves 4
Ingredients
Shrimp:
1 1/2 pounds of cooked shrimp, tail on
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Pasta:
1/2 box of thin spaghetti/spaghettini
1/2 cup of fresh basil blended with 1 tablespoon of water
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of extra Virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juice and zest
Cracked pepper
Garnish:
Extra fresh basil leaves
Extra Parmesan cheese
Directions
Pasta:
In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix blended basil, Parmesan cheese, extra Virgin olive oil and lemon juice and zest. Add some cracked pepper to taste and mix again. Set bowl aside.
Cook pasta according to package instructions, save a cup of pasta water once pasta is cooked.
Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Add basil-Parmesan mixture and toss pasta well, ensuring that the spaghettini is well coated with the sauce.
If the pasta sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta water to lighten sauce and mix well.
Shrimp:
In a large skillet or frying pan, add butter. Heat up pan on medium high heat.
Once bitter begins to melt down, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Add white wine and stir, add lemon juice and stir again.
Add heavy cream and stir. Reduce heat to low.
Add shrimp stir well and cook in sauce for 2 minutes. Add fresh parsley, mix well and remove from heat.
Serve it up!
These fishes can be served nicely in large platters or individually as shown.
If served individually, twirling a nice heap of pasta (using a large fork and a laddle) is always nice, creating a nest. Next to it arrange several shrimp together and lightly drizzle some wine cream sauce on top.
Don't forget to add some fresh basil leaves and extra Parmesan cheese as garnish.
Buon apetito!
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine…
Alverdi Pinot Grigio, Colli Aprutini, Italy
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
The name Alverdi can be literally translated into English as “To The Green”.
All of the Alverdi wines are produced using only certified organic grapes from various sources across the country.
The Pinot Grigio comes from Colli Aprutini, a small sub-appellation within the much larger and well-known Abruzzo region.
Tasting notes:
Straw yellow color with a fresh bouquet of apple and citrus on the nose.
Bright and lively on the palate with strong acidity and a fair amount of minerality to round the wine out.
Grapes:
100% Pinot Grigio
Alcohol:
12%
Food pairing: Perfect as an aperitif or with salads and seafood dishes.
Thank you to Opici Wines & Spirits for providing this delightful Chardonnay.
For more information, visit:
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Decorative wine drip collar ring provided by:
(Special discount promo code: CFW15)
Salute & Grazie (cheers and thanks) from Carlos...
(Video by Ricardo Rodezno)
*Special thanks to the Rodezno family for their kitchen and pool backyard. Cheers!