Champagne Shrimp Pasta

Delicious, Flexible, Easy
Romantic Dinner

Real Restaurant Seafood-Pasta Recipe

This Champagne Shrimp Pasta has become a regular feature on the restaurant menu on special days, such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and New Year's Eve.

Restaurant guests have requested this elegant shrimp pasta recipe many, many times.

It is delicious and then they are surprised to find out how easy it is to prepare.

With a champagne-cream sauce, this makes for a great romantic dinner anytime of the year, especially on Valentine's Day. You'll have enough champagne left over, you and a loved one can toast to each other’s love and health in candle light.

I discovered this recipe years ago and have tweaked it several times since.

The champagne mingles nicely with the cream to create a wonderful sauce. Using minced shallots provides a touch of onion-garlic flavor.

You can add a little minced garlic to give it some extra "zip," if you want. And sometimes I use basil in place of the parsley.

Champagne Shrimp Pasta

Real Restaurant Dinner Recipe

Preparation time:  20 minutes. Serves 2

Ingredients (For Cooking Pasta):

• 4 ounces (1/4 pound) angel hair pasta or linguine or fettuccine
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 pound medium sized shrimp (prawns), peeled and deveined
• 3/4 cup champagne
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots (an important ingredient - see note below)

Note:  Shallots are not really onions and should not be confused with green onions or scallions. They have a mild taste combining the flavors of sweet onion and mild garlic.

• 1 small tomato, skinned, seeded and diced

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions:

Have all ingredients measured and vegetables prepared before beginning. I like to cook the pasta ahead of time in which case it needs to be tossed with a small amount of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

• Cook the pasta according to package directions or until al dente (still firm), adding the teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water and then drain in a colander
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan or frying pan
• Add mushrooms (if using), cooking and stirring the mushrooms until they are tender
• Remove the mushrooms from pan and set them aside
• In the same pan, combine the shrimp, the champagne and salt in the frying pan and cook over high heat
• As the liquid just begins to boil, remove the shrimp from the pan using a slotted spoon
• Add the minced shallots and chopped tomato to the champagne and boil until liquid is reduced to about one third ( 1/4 cup )
• Add the cream and pasta and cook until slightly thickened
• Add the shrimp, parsley and mushrooms to the pan and cook until thoroughly heated
• If pasta starts to get dry, add a little more cream
• Adjust seasonings to taste
• Pour into pasta bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Before serving this wonderful dinner, prepare a delicious salad. Also, the restaurant guests and I like to have a slice of garlic bread with this meal.

Enjoy your Champagne Shrimp Pasta and the company of those you share it with!

Donna

“Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea.

You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it.

Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried.

There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich.

That- that's about it.”

Bubba (Forrest Gump)