Dinner Friday night was shrimp fra diavolo over spaghetti.
- 6 ounces spaghetti cooked in 3 or 4 quarts of well salted water for 9 minutes (just shy of al dente) (as far as supermarket brands are concerned, I prefer De Cecco), drained but not rinsed.
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (lately I have been using Carmelina e San Marzano organic)
- 187 ml dry white wine (I keep a few 187 bottles of either Sutter Home or Woodbridge red and white wines on hand for cooking purposes. I wouldn't drink either, but it saves money when you don't need a whole 750 ml bottle of whine.)
- 1 cup Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce
- 6-8 fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 8 ounces extra large shrimp
- salt
- pepper
Chiffonade the basil.
Put diced tomatoes and half of the wine into a wide bottom sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce wine by half. Remove pan from heat and stir in the jarred sauce. Add half the basil. Set aside.
I buy IQF frozen shrimp (the "fresh" shrimp at your supermarket is actually thawed shrimp). I defrost them overnight in the refrigerator. Reel. Devein. Rinse. Dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a 4-quart sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When oil shimmers, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add shrimp. Let shrimp cook for 1 minute without moving. Flip shrimp over. Cook 1 minute. Add the sauce and spaghetti, mixing well. Cook 2 minutes.
We drank it with Bottega Gold Prosecco. I love Prosecco with spicy food, especially spicy Italian food. The bubbles, acidity, and slight residual sugar make it very refreshing. The Bottega Gold is an especially nice example. It suggests apple, white peach, and Meyer lemon.
