Recipe By Lynfred Brand Ambassador Laura Lorenz
Ingredients
1 lb. pasta (linguini or fettuccini)
12 oz x-large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
2 medium/large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 c heavy cream
½ tsp red pepper flake
¾ c grated Parmesan
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Fresh Italian parsley
Directions
Put a large pot of water on high heat to cook the pasta. While the water is coming to a boil, start cooking the shrimp: heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. While the pan is heating up, dry off the shrimp with paper towels and lightly salt them. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook roughly 1 minute per side; shrimp cook very fast, so be careful not to overcook. Once the shrimp are cooked, set aside on a plate. In a separate large pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium/low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, move the garlic around continuously so it does not burn. Next, add the heavy cream, cream cheese, and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer, whisking continuously; this should take roughly 4-5 minutes.
While waiting for the cream to simmer, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente (for most pasta, that will be 8-9 minutes). Simmer the cream mixture for 4-5 minutes, then whisk in the parmesan cheese. The pasta should be done right around the same time as the sauce. Take the pasta directly from the water, with tongs, right into the sauce (doing this vs draining the pasta ensures some of the pasta water goes into the sauce as well). Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, tossing continuously until the sauce coats the pasta. Then, add in the shrimp and lemon zest, and toss well. Top with fresh Italian parsley and serve immediately.
Tips
*Using pre-cooked shrimp is also an option for this recipe, just omit the cooking steps and add the shrimp in at the end to warm them up. Scallops are also delicious in this recipe; cooking time will vary. I used x-large shrimp, but any size will work, cooking time will need to be adjusted accordingly.
*Breaking the cream cheese into chunks will help it melt into the cream more easily. Keep the sauce on medium-medium low heat the entire time, and whisk continuously, which will prevent the sauce from curdling.
*I prefer a more subtle garlic flavor so I recommend roughly chopping. If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor, mince or grate the garlic in. The finer the pieces of garlic=more garlic flavor.
*Fresh pasta will cause the cooking time to vary.
*Be patient with the noodles and sauce coming together; this can take a few minutes.
*Use very finely grated parmesan, shredded parmesan will clump in the sauce.
*This recipe serves 4 people. I love to serve this pasta with a side salad and breadsticks.