Ina's Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

This is a recipe that makes a great quick dinner. I have made it several times in the past, but for whatever reason, I have never posted this recipe to my blog. It is shameful, I know! This is easily one of our favorite shrimp pasta meals, with clean, simple flavors that are just delicious.

We had some leftover cooked spaghetti noodles from the other night, so I decided to incorporate them into this dish. I added some sauteed mushrooms and omitted the fresh parsley (I didn't have any on hand). This recipe still turned out great, and totally hit the "spot". Really, it is hard to go wrong with one of Ina's recipe.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions:
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Jen's Notes:
As I mentioned, I made a few minor changes. I added sauteed mushrooms, omitted the fresh parsley, and used cooked spaghetti noodles instead of the linguine. Also, I used 1/2 of a finely diced onion instead of the shallots. We had the last little bit of a bottle of dry white wine, so that was thrown into the mix, too. I would say it was about a 1/2 cup. We just let it reduce until it almost evaporated.

The Result:
Oops! In my haste to eat dinner, I forgot to take a photo of the dish. Sorry! I will make sure to get one next time.

This dish turned out great, as usual. This meal is so fast and yummy...a total keeper in my book!!!