Monday, June 24, 2013

Shrimp & Bacon Farfalle in a Creamy Chive Sauce



If you ask me to bake, I will bite my nails, study my cookbooks as though my teenage SAT scores depended on it and soldier forth. I will nervously switch back and forth between the recipe and the bowl so quickly and so often it will give you whiplash. I'm a nervous baker. This Mothers' Day, while I was frosting a coconut cake that I woke up at 5am to bake, my hands were actually shaking.

But ask me to open the fridge, pull out the three remaining items inside and fix you a little dinner - that's my ballgame. Some of my favorite meals have been born from pulling random items from the fridge and declaring, "this will do nicely." This is one of those recipes. My measurements are far from exact, but don't worry, we're not bakers.

Ingredients
farfalle pasta
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined & patted dry
5 strips of bacon, chopped
zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
asparagus, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
cream cheese
white wine
chives
parsley
red pepper flakes
kosher salt & pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook farfalle until al dente, reserving a cup on starchy pasta water.

Heat a large skillet and add chopped bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel.

Add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes (to taste) to skillet. Cook until translucent. Sprinkle salt and pepper on shrimp and add to the hot skillet, leaving untouched for about 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp to cook the other side.

Add zucchini. Cook about 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and asparagus. Add a splash (completely subjective) of white wine and stir, allowing wine to cook off.

Add pasta, cream cheese, chives, pasta water in amounts to reach the desired sauce consistency. Add reserved bacon back in. Taste for seasoning, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

I hope you like it!

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