Uncle John's Lemon Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

Directions

Step 1 - Prep the Veggies

• ½ pound’ish’ of fresh green beans
• 1 each of red, green, yellow and orange peppers
• 1 zucchini
• 1 little yellow squash
• 1 little bunch of green onions
• ½ cup mushrooms, if desired (John usually doesn’t do mushrooms in this dish)

Step 2 – Cook the Pasta

• Use approx 16 oz dry penne or other pasta to end up with 6 cups cooked
• You may want to slightly undercook it so it doesn’t turn mushy. Cool it quickly in cold water or ice bath so it stops cooking.

Step 3 – Sauté the Veggies

• ¼ cup virgin olive oil
• 1 TBLS fresh garlic, chopped (John buys it pre-chopped, preserved in a bottle for convenience but NOT dry garlic flakes. They just don’t cut it.)
• Sauté the vegetables until barely tender (almost undercooked, because they will cook more later). Then remove them from the pan, but leave the good stuff in the pan (grease and spices)

Step 4 – Sauté the tail-less Shrimp in the same veggie pan you just used.

• 2 lbs of Jenni’s shrimp if you can get it. Otherwise, good luck.
• 2 healthyTBLS of capers (John doesn’t rinse them, but he does strain them slightly with a slotted spoon because the brine is salty).
• ½ cup white wine (cooking wine if you’re chicken to use the good stuff)
• Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil if needed to sauté
• Add more garlic if needed (we recommend you add another TBLS or two)

Sauté shrimp until the meat is barely done (don’t overcook, it will go mushy). It should look pinkish. Remove the shrimp from the pan. Let it cool.

Step 5 – Make the lemon sauce

• Melt ¼ cup butter, then sauté in it:
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 tsp garlic

Add 2 TBS flour or so, mix well to remove lumps we’re making sort of a white-sauce base.

• Add 2-1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 4 tsp dry basil
• 1-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix well and simmer together for about 5 minutes.
Add salt to taste
Step 6 – Mix er up
Gently toss all the prepared ingredients in a bowl (veggies, pasta, shrimp), and then fold into the prepared, hot lemon sauce. Garnish with lemon wedge.