Spaghetti with Champagne & Shrimps

Okay, today is Valentine's Day and with several days of agonizing what to make for Valentine's dinner, I finally came to the decision to make a pasta dish from "Giada de Laurentis' Everyday Pasta" book; although, I did tweak it a bit.  In the recipe, it asks for two pounds of littleneck clams, little bit of shallot, arugula, and Pinot Grigio, but I didn't have any on hand and didn't want to go to the store, so I changed the recipe a bit.  I added more shrimps, used onions instead of shallots, spinach instead of arugula and Moet Chandon Champagne for Pinot Grigio.  Okay, okay~ it's not a bit.  I guess I changed it a lot!  While in the rush to make this dinner after picking up my kids to school and before sending my husband to night-school, I COULDN'T FIND THE CHAMPAGNE!!  You won't believe what happened!!  I assumed the champagne was in the box still left on the shelf, my husband hid it in our beer/wine cooler!  I had no choice, but to wake him up from his nap to finish our Valentines dinner and overall, it was a very yummy dinner. =)  I served it with mixed vegetables salad tossed with Dijon Vinaigrette(of course my version) and garlic bread.

I gotta note though about pasta dishes.  I've been making several pasta dishes for a while with alcohol and learned that heavy dishes with such as italian sausage goes well with strong alcohol like Tequila or Vodka; if you add in red wine, then you could make bolognese sauce.  As for light dishes with such as seafood goes well with white wine.  I guess that's a note that I should not forget and keep in mind to discover new great pasta dishes.  =)


Here is the original recipe: (My version is below)

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

Make:  4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound          spaghetti
1/4 cup           olive oil
3                      shallots, chopped
3                      garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup          oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups     Pinot Grigio (or other dry white wine)
1 pound         large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds      littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 tsp                salt
1 tsp                freshly ground black pepper
2 cups           arugula, tough stems removed

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain
2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic, cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown.
3.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
4.  Add the wine, shrimp, and clams and bring the liquid to a boil.
5.  Reduce heat, cover the pan, and simmer until the shrimps are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes. (Discard any clams that have not opened.)
6.  Add the spaghetti  to the skillet with the seafood mixture.
7.  Add the salt & pepper and stir to combine, then gently fold in the arugula.
8.  Mound the pasta on a serving platter and serve immediately.


Spaghetti with Champagne and Shrimps

Makes:  4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound            spaghetti
1/4 cup             grapeseed oil
1/4                    onion, chopped
3                       garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup           oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups       Moet Chandon Champagne
1 1/2 pound    large shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 tsp                  salt
1 tsp                  freshly ground black pepper
2 cups             spinach, tough stems removed

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain.
2.  Meanwhile, heat the grapseed oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic, cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown.
3.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
4.  Add the champagne and shrimps, bring the liquid to a boil.
5.  Reduce the heat cover the pan, and simmer until the shrimps are pink.
6.  Add the spaghetti to the skillet with the shrimp mixture.
7.  Add the salt & pepper and stir to combine, then gently fold in the spinach.
8.  Mound the pasta on a serving platter and serve immediately.



Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 cup     red wine vinegar
1 tsp          dijon mustard
1 tsp          garlic, minced
1/2 tsp      salt
1/2 tsp      freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup    grapeseed oil

Directions:

1.  Combine all ingredients in a small container, cover with a lid and shake.