Shrimp primavera with gemelli pasta

With the sun shining and buds appearing on trees, we were inspired to introduce some of spring’s bounty. This dish highlights the contrast of bright grassy asparagus and earthy mushrooms. We chose shrimp as the protein, but chicken is a good substitute for those who prefer meat. Instead of white wine, we use dry vermouth to provide another unique layer of botanical flavor.

Gemelli, meaning twins in Italian, is what makes this dish stand out. Gemelli’s texture is toothsome (al dente) because it’s made with semolina (durum wheat) – a type of “chewiness” that can’t be duplicated with gluten-free pasta. Mangiare!

Shrimp primavera with gemelli pasta

This dish highlights the contrast of bright grassy asparagus and earthy mushrooms. Gemelli pasta's texture is toothsome because it’s made with semolina – a type of “chewiness” that can’t be matched by gluten-free pasta. Mangiare!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 package gemelli pasta (we use Severino)
• 1.25 lbs large shrimp (21/25per pound)
• 1 bunch asparagus (prep by cutting bottom quarter off, then cut remainder into 1-inch pieces, preserving the tips)
• 10-15 mushrooms – 6 shitake mushroom caps and 1 ½-2 clusters of oyster mushrooms (prep by trimming ¼ inch from stem of oyster mushroom)
• ¼ cup  extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large ripe tomato skinned and chopped
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves, chopped fine or grated
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
• ½ cup dry vermouth
• ¼ cup basil leaves, hand torn (not chopped)
• ¼ cup Italian parsley, sliced (not chopped)
• zest 1 lemon
• ¼ cup grated authentic Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground peppercorn

Instructions

 

• Fill a pot with four quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add a fair amount of salt to water, until it tastes like the ocean. 
• Core tomato and carve an "X" into the opposite side of the core. Place in boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute. Remove and easily peel skin away from tomato flesh. Chop tomato.
• Add gemelli to boiling salted water and stir to prevent sticking. 
• While pasta is cooking, add 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large 12” non-stick pan. Once oil is hot, add mushrooms, garlic, raw pieces of asparagus and hot pepper flakes. Stir ingredients occasionally to prevent garlic from burning, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add shrimp and then add salt to all ingredients in pan. Let shrimp cook for one minute then add chopped tomato.
• After tomato cooks for 30 seconds, add dry vermouth and let the flavors meld while the shrimp is cooking. When the shrimp is cooked through, remove the sauté pan from the heat and check the gemelli for doneness.
• When gemelli pasta is cooked to your liking, remove from boiling water either by pouring into a colander or removing gemelli from water. Remember to save about one cup of the pasta water, as the secret to cooking any pasta dish is adding water back into the dish!
• Add gemelli pasta to the shrimp sauté pan along with parsley, basil and parmesan cheese. Toss or stir all ingredient vigorously. (Watch our video on how to master the pan toss.)
• Add ¼ to ½ cup of pasta water, remaining olive oil and stir or toss vigorously once again. This type of agitation makes the pasta and sauce have a creamy texture. 
• Taste all ingredients for flavor and add salt and pepper if needed. 
• Plate pasta evenly in four bowls and zest lemon over the top.

Notes

1. Watch our video on how to master the pan toss.
2. Find the serving ware at Mariposa.

Keyword dinner – entrees – fish – grains – pescatarian – seafood – shellfish – spring – winter

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