Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta Puttanesca
A very quick and easy recipe to conjure up in a rush. This lemon garlic shrimp pasta also contains olives, smoked pancetta, capers, garlic and parsley. There was also a few sugar snap peas in there as well. The flavours when combined just sing and jump in and around the tonsils. Pasta of any kind is comforting filling and can be elegant. Perfect for the family as a pasta bake or a lasagne or can be made sophisticated enough for a dinner party. I think the lemon garlic shrimp pasta would be good at a dinner party or simply just n front of the TV for one.
The Perfect Pasta
There are many types of different pasta that you could use for this dish but I just happened to use fresh linguine pasta.I confess that it was shop bought. I usually have a bag on standby to whip something up quickly for when the kids are starving.It only takes around one minute to cook so its perfect for quick meals. We do occasionally make our basic pasta recipe at weekend with the kids. Spaghetti, fettuccine, or even penne would compliment the ingredients.
Prawns and Smoked Pancetta, its almost a Pasta Surf & Turf
This was a last minute decision as the wife and children had been to a BBQ and the food was good. So a rare occasion for myself that I could cook to please myself and no one else. I started to think back to our trip in Lake Garda and all the wonderful things we had eaten there.
Ingredients
- Pasta enough for one, your choice, linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti
- 8 large prawns / shrimp
- 1/2 an inch of dried pepper
- 8 capers chopped
- 1 clove of garlic
- 20g of smoke pancetta
- 1/4 of a lemon
- 4 sugar snap pea's sliced
- 8 Olives, lemon infused if you can get them
- 1 shallot chopped
- 20ml double cream
- 30g Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Small bunch of chopped parsley
Instructions
Pot of water to boil with the lid on which speed up the process. While the water is boiling I started to cut up the ingredients. Starting with the shallot as this was going into the frying pan first with some olive oil (and maybe a knob of butter) season well cook 3 minutes Palce pasta in slated boiling water for 1 minute 
Then chop a little dried chilli and the garlic and throw that into the pan as the spice will infuse into the shallot. Then cook for 1 minutes Next you want to add the smoked pancetta as the fat will render down and add to the base of the flavour. cook 2 minutes Now add the prawns, olives, sugar snap peas and capers, stir in the frying pan to soak up all the flavours cook 1 When the pasta is cooked add it straight to the frying pan whilst the water is still dripping from the pasta, squeeze the juice from the loom in at this pint The pasta water helps make the sauce Add the cream and Parmesan cheese cook on high heat for 1 minute and serve Add chopped parsley at the end and stir through
Notes
The sugar snap peas can easily be swapped for pea's (frozen will do) or asparagus or even courgette. If you don't have smoked pancetta use smoked bacon as its a perfect substitute. No shallots then use onion.
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta, the Fridge Raid
.Thinking back to the flavours I grabbed some capers, olives and olives from out of the fridge. Over to the work top I grabbed a piece of garlic from the shelf along with a lemon, shallot and a dried chilli.I didn’t realise until I started doing some keyword research that I was virtually curating a classic Italian Puttanesca. Well nearly a puttanesca minus the anchovy. To help the sauce along I went back to the fridge and grabbed a little cream and parmesan cheese. Opps just remembered smoke pancetta.
I made this dish in around seven minutes from start to finish, its that quick and simple.
The Cooking of The Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Pot of water to boil with the lid on which speed up the process. While the water is boiling I started to cut up the ingredients. Starting with the shallot as this was going into the frying pan first. Then chop a little dried chill and garlic and throw that into the pan as the spice will infuse into the shallot. Now add the smoked pancetta and olives, these olives were lemon infused olives I get from Aldi. Make sure you season as you go along
Now the water should be boiling add the salt to the water and add the pasta. Now throw the shrimps/prawns into the frying pan along with the caper. Quickly grate some parmesan cheese. Now take the pasta out of the boiling water straight into the frying pan along with the water as it adds to the sauce. Add the cream stir it all together and then add the parsley at the last minute. Done.
How To Make Your Own Pasta Recipe and Sauce
Creating you own pasta recipe isn’t that difficult at all. You just need to follow some basic rules to create your own pasta dish.
- The first step is cooking your pasta in plenty of salted water
- Do not over cook you pasta. It should be al dente.
- Pick your ingredients, you favourites of course
- Vegetables that go well with pasta
- Pea’s, Broad beans, broccoli, courgette, tomatoes, mushrooms, shallots, fennel, asparagus.
- Portien’s, this sent a must if your vegetarian or vegan just don’t add anything else apart from the veg.
- Shrimp/prawns, salmon, any fish will marry well. beef, pork, sausage meat especially.
- Choose your flavourings. Be bold go for punchy flavours don’t be bland
- Garlic, chilli, pancetta, lemon, capers, anchovies, smoked bacon, lemon, basil, parsley.parmesan, black pepper.
- Items to make your sauce, for a quick easy light pasta sauce
- tomatoes, tomato puree, double cream, olive oil, pasta water, parmesan cheese.
The list isn’t exhaustive its just there to give you a base idea on how to make your own pasta recipe come to life. This is a guide on how to make your own quick speedy pasta dish so ideally use fresh pasta it cooks quick. The veg needs to be of small size so it cooks quickly so chop them small. Do the same with the protein, ensure it is in small piece, prawns are fine as they are and fish cooks quickly to.
The Burnt Bread
I have read the warning about burnt bread but we are talking literally seconds on each side. Just a light browning of the surface gives it a bitter charcoal flavour. I thin give it a gentle rub with a clove of garlic. The flavour of the burnt bread contrast the tangy tart explosive flavours of the Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
The Guide to Making Your Own Pasta Dish
Cook the pasta and at the same time chop your veg and slowly start cooking it in a frying pan. If you are using shallots then cook them first, at this point add your flavouring so they infuse into the dish. If you are adding portions to the dish add them next as they will take a little time to cook. The next on the list is the veg, throw them in the pan and ideally these need to be just cooked, or even crunchy but never over cooke them. You certainly do not want soggy veg with your won pasta dishes.
Once all this is cooked then you need to make a bit of the sauce for the pasta. It could be as simple as squirt of tomato puree in there and adding a glug of cream. Stir it all around to incorporate the sauce to the veg, proteins and pasta. You could a hand full of parmesan cheese and cream. Always add a bit of the pasta water as this helps thin out the sauce. Then at the last second and some herbs from your garden.
It really is that simple to make your own pasta recipe at home. Give it a go be bold be brave.
More Classic Italian Dishes To Try
If you want a truly classic Italian sauce for your pasta dishes then give these a go. The Bolognese meat sauce or the classic Italian Ragu. If you really want a lemon zing in your pasta then this is for you lemon fettuccine .
Happiest in the kitchen feeding the 3 children who are constantly hungry. Lucky enough to have worked in a Pro kitchen on a voluntary basis to learn the tricks of the trade.. Buckinghams The restaurant with one Table. With Chef Nick Buckingham.(RIP)