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Bold Shrimp and Pasta with Pete’s Garlic Oil and Fire Roasted tomatoes

Bold Shrimp and Pasta with Pete’s Garlic Oil and Fire Roasted tomatoes

Chef's notes

This simple sauce gets its intense complex flavors by combining two different sauces. Both are delicious on their own.

Pete’s Garlic Oil, my base for pasta Aglio e Olio, is made with fresh garlic slow simmered with olive oil, herbs, kosher salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It creates garlic infused oil and sweet pot roasted garlic.

The other is a red sauce with robust fire roasted tomatoes flavored with charred shrimp. Their shells are separately sautéed and discarded to release even more flavor.

All ingredients are combined to finish this terrific sauce.

Please don’t serve with grated parmigiana. Many Italian purists frown against adding strong cheeses to seafoods. It is especially true with this dish. It will overpowering and distract this already flavorful dish.

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Bold Shrimp and Pasta with Pete’s Garlic Oil and Fire Roasted tomatoes

Ingredients

Pete’s Garlic Oil

1 cup of olive oil
10 large garlic cloves with skin
1/2 teaspoon Tuscany seasoning (or several fresh sage leaves, a sprig of rosemary and a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt)
pinch of red pepper flakes

Additional Ingredients:

1 to 1 ¼ pounds large shrimp preferably with shells
1 28 oz. ounce can crushed roasted tomatoes, “Dei Fratelli PRIMA QUALITY Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes” or similar.
1-pound penne, rigatoni or other favorite pasta

Instructions

Prepare Garlic oil several hours ahead. Remove rough tips from garlic cloves and slice in half lengthwise. Retain skins. Place in a butter melting pot with higher sides and remaining ingredients. Place over medium heat until a light simmer. Reduce heat to lowest and continue simmering until skins are released and garlic cloves are softened and richly browned with the consistency of oven roasted garlic.
Rinse shrimp in cold water. Remove shells and and reserve. Devein shrimp.
In a larger pot capable of holding all ingredients, sauté shrimp shells in some of the garlic flavored oil, releasing their flavor. Remove them with a slotted spoon retaining drippings in the pot. Discard shells.
Quick char shrimp for a few minutes while flipping. They are ready when just cooked through; reserve shrimp.
Simmer tomatoes in the same pot until heated through. Add contents of the pot of garlic and oil. Heat through and slow simmer while pasta is cooking. Add salt to taste and red pepper flakes for heat if desired.
Cook pasta in rapidly boiling and salted water. When al dente, reserve a cup of pasta water and strain.
Reheat shrimp in the sauce. Place a couple of ladles of sauce in the bottom of the drained pasta pot. Add pasta and coat with the shrimp sauce. If needed, thin with reserved pasta water.
Serving either family style or plated. Top with abundant sauce. Have more sauce available for guests to add if desired.
As discussed above, I strongly recommend not making grated cheese available. If asked, you can politely tell them it doesn’t go with this dish.

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