Dinner with Guinea Pigs

And by Guinea pigs, I mean friends who are ever so nice as to let me experiment and try out a new recipe on them. (Thanks again, by the way.)

Tonight’s menu was Greek Shrimp Linguini, salad, rolls, and a very tasty chocolate/banana/peanut butter pie that I’ll need to get the recipe for. I spotted the pasta recipe several months ago and decided it was high time to finally try it. Plus, I figure with it being Thanksgiving week, we’re going to be dining on plenty of poultry, and seafood would be a nice change of pace. 
I thought it was quite scrumptious and not difficult at all. We used Barefoot Pinot Grigio for the white wine, and I may have sprinkled in just a little extra dry mustard. The recipe only calls for 8 ounces of linguini, but that seemed like it wouldn’t be nearly enough for the 2 pounds of shrimp, so I went ahead and cooked the entire 16-ounce package of pasta. Then I tossed just a little over half with the shrimp to serve, and packed up the unused noodles with the leftovers after dinner.

Also, instead of draining the shrimp like the recipe instructs, I scooped out the shrimp with a slotted spoon. I added some of the cooking liquid to the dish before serving (and again when packing up leftovers) for a little added flavor and so the noodles wouldn’t stick together. Many pasta recipes Mike and I make recommend reserving some the pasta cooking water for this purpose, but I figured this would be much more flavorful.
I found the recipe in Culinary Classics from Beachside to Boardwalk, from JL Galveston. There are several other seafood recipes I plan on trying as well as a recipe for cookies with white chocolate and sea salt that make my mouth water every time I read it.

Greek Shrimp Linguini
8 ounces linguini
5 or 6 scallions
¼ cup olive oil
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon dry mustard
⅓ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup chopped parsley
½ cup fish stock or water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta using the package directions. Drain and cool. Sauté the scallions in the olive oil in a skillet until tender. Add the shrimp, wine, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, parsley, stock and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Drain and cool slightly. Add the cheese and toss to mix. Pour over the linguini and serve at room temperature.

Serves 8

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