Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

Another post from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. This made for a very tasty lunch today!

Notes: 

• Since I can't go out and purchase a bottle of white wine and I didn't have any on hand I used veggie broth and a couple splashes of white grape juice instead.
• I used spaghetti instead of linguine because it's what I had on hand.
  

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 box (12 oz) linguine
• 2 Tbls. olive oil
• 1 bunch (~1 lb) asparagus, woody bottoms removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the linguine according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and the asparagus is tender but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from the pan and set aside.

Combine the lemon juice, wine, and reserved pasta water in hte skillet over medium-high heat. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Return the shrimp and asparagus to the pan and stir in the parsley. Add the drained linguine, tossingto combine. Add the tomatoes and toss. Sprinkle with cheese, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Ultimate Spaghetti & Meatballs

I made these when my friend Trenton came over and they were a hit! They took a lot longer than I expected, probably because I tend to be super careful and picky when I first try out a recipe, but they were worth it. I got the recipe from an episode of Tyler's Ultimate. I made the Pomodoro Sauce he includes but didn't really care for it as much, so I'm not going to take the time to write out the recipe on here. But if you want it it's on the link. They also made good leftovers, but again would have been much better with a different sauce IMHO.

Notes:

• Again, didn't really like his Pomodoro Sauce.
• Don't know if this is right, but for the firm white bread I just let some Texas size bread that I had in the pantry sit out for about 30 minutes to get firm before soaking in the milk.
• I used a more authentic fresh mozzarella cheese that I found at Reasor's. It was nice and soft instead of hard like the usual packaged kind. I sliced it and put about one slice on each meatball.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup milk
• 4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups heated Pomodoro Sauce, or good quality jarred tomato sauce
• 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks
  
• Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh basil
• 1 lb. spaghetti

Directions:

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Heat 3 T oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hand onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into 10 equal pieces and shape them into 10 nice looking meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes. Put them into a baking dish and spoon about half of hte tomato sauce over. Shower with the mozzarella and drizzle with the olive oil. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately along with extra cheese.