Monday, May 3, 2010

Spaghetti with Lemon, Dill, Feta and Shrimp - SHRIMP WEEK Day 2


What a dish!!!  I have been on the lookout for a spaghetti dish not using a red sauce.  No special reason, just wanted to ponder the best alternative to the regular.  It's what I think about while chasing down iguanas.  This recipe is inspired by this months' REAL SIMPLE Magazine.  Of course I could not leave well enough alone, and I made a few changes, as well as adding a KICK ARSE BRUSCHETTA to the finished plating, and I could not be more pleased... I mean really good!
 

I started with 16 pretty decent size Shrimp.  A simple brine of 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup sugar and 3 cups of water adds a little extra flavor and tenderness to the fellas.  Only let them bath for about 20 minutes.

While that is going on, I assembled my ingredients Mise en Place)...

Juice of one Lemon
Zest of one Lemon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
Enough Spaghetti for two
1 tbs Dill

For the Bruschetta -

4 slices Eng Bread
1 clove Garlic
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 Roma Tomato diced
sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese



Sauté the shrimp in a little olive oil for just about 4 minutes.  Shrimp cook FAST, if you overcook them, they get rubbery. 


And from here...


This really is simple... Just Sprinkle on the flavors...


Sprinkle the lemon zest
Squeeze the Lemon




Sprinkle the dill
Sprinkle the Feta
Sprinkle the Shrimp
Sprinkle the "not your Grandmother's HERBES de PROVENCE"
"not your Grandmother's HERBES de PROVENCE" is my own recipe for a mixture of herbs that I make up every 6 months or so.  I always have a little baggie of this mixture around.  It is great to just add a little extra zip to most recipes.  Feel free to substitute whatever you happen to have around the house, and combination of thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic flakes, oregano... or any combination.  Click HERE to see my recipe.



Crack open a bottle of wine...
Sit out on your deck and watch the world sail by.



Spend some quality time with your loved ones... after all, it's SHRIMP WEEK!


I also wanted to show another photo I took snorkeling on our beach... I really like this shot of a manta ray getting all hurrumpy by blowing dust at a fish that was picking at his hide.  Lots of drama under the sea.

Just another day in paradise





And stay tuned... I have a bruschetta post coming soon!
...

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this simple recipe, must try it soon.

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  2. Dave, your pics are getting better by the day. The first one is awesome. Jackie's really lucky ... look at the good food!

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  3. What in the heck were you worried about? Your shrimp look awesome. Wish my pictures were as vibrant.

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  4. Nothing screams summer to me more than bruschetta...then again I guess it is always summer where you are.

    Love the lemon sauce! Especially with feta. Mmmm. Cheese.

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  5. Looks like a super good meal to me.

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  6. I love non-red sauce pasta - and anytime there's feta in a dish I'm in heaven!

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  7. I also love the first pic too. Looks so delicious, can't wait to try those.

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  8. I just love your blog! All this good food and wonderful pictures- what's not to love!
    Great post Dave!

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  9. The spaghetti looks delish. But I am really looking forward to the bruschetta post.

    By the way... you are looking tanned and gorgeous.

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  10. Glad to see someone else besides me uses dried dill in foods...

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  11. I actually never thought of brining shrimp before - makes perfect sense though!

    Yep, another day in paradise for you!! Lucky!

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  12. Dave, yer killin me here... That looks so good I wanna lick my computer screen! I miss pasta... speaking of pasta... send me your address, I have some for you.

    ~Rainey

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  13. Okay sir. The spaghetti looks very good, BUT the bruschetta look inspirational! One of my favorite scenes in the Julie & Julia movie is where when Julie is talking about writing a blog while preparing a bruschetta. Then they tease us by eating this ingredible thing. Save me. I was hooked. Looking forward to your bruschetta post. Can you please make one that looks like the one in the Julie & Julia movie?

    P.S. I have a container of, what I will now call, Dave's herbs sitting on the back of my stove. Waiting....

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  14. Wow. I made a lemon dill sauce for our fondue last night, but this combination with feta sounds superb. I love anything with feta. I'd eat feta on show leather and love it. Mmm....

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  15. This is my kind of meal... pasta, shrimp, bruchetta... YUMA!

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  16. I love shrimp and your shrimp week! I also love Real Simple. Looks delicious!

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  17. Lovin all the shrimp recipes! I've been having some serious pasta cravings - I'm adding this one to this week's menu plans over at my Seaside Simplicity this week! :-)

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