This is one of my favorite recipes! It combines healthy fats, protein, and carbohydrates in a colorful, flavorful meal that makes for great leftovers, too. You can make it with traditional wheat pasta, or if you prefer gluten-free like me, you may opt for a brown rice pasta (recommendation below).
Utensils:
Frying pan
Cutting board
Knife
Spatula or spoon
Strainer (you may wish to have two on hand for ease unless you can quickly wash the one in between needing to use it: the strainer will be used for washing the broccoli and straining the water from the shrimp once cooked).
Steamer basket
Small pot
Medium pot
Large pot
Large serving dish or bowl
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove
2 crowns of broccoli
2 cups of shrimp (I prefer shrimp that is already deveined, peeled, and ready to cook or warm if already cooked)
1/4 white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
About 6 ounces/2-3 cups of gluten-free pasta: brown rice pasta by Tinkyada (not mushy!) (I use about half of a regular-sized bag for this recipe)
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (light)
1 generous pour of white wine (try a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio -- a non-sweet white wine)
Salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
- Lightly coat the bottom of the frying pan with a generous pour of light extra virgin olive oil, and allow the oil to warm on low heat.
- Peel and slice the garlic clove into small slivers, and allow the garlic to cook slowly in the olive oil. Once cooked, it should appear to be a light-brown color.
- Wash the broccoli, and remove the stems.
- Bring about 3-4 cups of water to boil in the small pot. Once near boiling, place the steamer basket over the pot, and add the broccoli to the top of it. Allow the broccoli to steam on medium to high heat for about 15 minutes. Check the broccoli occasionally, moving any especially green looking pieces to the top and pushing other, less-cooked broccoli to the bottom of the steamer basket. The goal is to soften the broccoli so that it is not as hard to chew, so keep a close eye on it so that it does not become soggy or is left too under-cooked.
- Rinse the shrimp, and peel the tails if needed.
- In the medium-sized pot, bring about four or five cups of water to almost boiling, and place the shrimp in the water to either warm (if already cooked) or cook. The temperature should be left on medium to high heat for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp because you will again place it on heat when you combine all ingredients at the end. While the shrimp is cooking, you may season the water with salt and pepper as desired and add a little extra virgin olive oil to enhance the flavor.
- While the broccoli and shrimp are cooking, bring about five or six cups of water to a boil for the pasta. Add a pour of extra virgin olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
- Once cooked, strain the shrimp, and set aside.
- Once cooked, strain the broccoli, and set aside.
- Once cooked, strain the pasta, and place it into the large serving dish.
- Combine the shrimp and broccoli with the sliced garlic in the frying pan, and add in another generous pour of extra virgin olive oil as well as the white wine. Allow the ingredients to simmer for about another 10 minutes on a low to medium heat, avoiding overcooking the shrimp. The shrimp and broccoli should both have a firm yet soft texture.
- After you have allowed the combined ingredients to simmer, add the shrimp, broccoli, and garlic to the pasta in the large serving dish, and mix all ingredients together. Enjoy!
What I love about this recipe is that the extra virgin olive oil and white wine combination softly coat the noodles to give them a creamier consistency. The dish is both filling and healthy -- my favorite combination!
Serves: Three to four people
Season of consumption: All
© 2016 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.