Linguine Gamberi in Salsa Rossa

 

A winter’s dilemma:  You want the comfort of a hearty red sauce, but something from the sea is calling you.  Problem solved.  A few tips:  When making the red sauce, double or triple the recipe to have extra in the freezer.  Keep some of the sauce in its rustic form for other uses, but don’t skip the puree step for this particular pasta – the smooth texture works.  Lastly, if you have the luxury of living or working near the Pike Place Market, finding good shellfish is not a problem.  If you don’t and can’t find them, wait until you have the time to come to the Market before making this pasta.

 

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves – thinly sliced

½ cup carrots – chopped

½ cup celery – chopped

4 to 5 anchovy filets – minced

1 cup sweet onion – chopped

1 Tbsp fresh Thyme – minced

28oz can DOP San Marzano tomatoes with liquid

1 lb. Rustichella d’Abruzzo Linguine

1 lb. shrimp – peeled, deveined and rinsed

1 tsp. crushed red chilis – more if you prefer spicier

1.5 cups fish stock

½ cup dry white wine

Italian parsley – chopped for garnish

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

Saute minced anchovies in olive oil over medium low heat and break up with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add onions with a dab more olive oil and saute over medium low heat until very soft.  Stir occasionally, being careful to not allow onions to burn.  Add carrots, celery, thyme and cook until softened, apx 5 minutes. Crush tomatoes by hand, add to pan and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer red sauce to blender or cuisinart and puree.  Return sauce to pan and set aside.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with 2 Tbsp salt.  Add linguine to water and cook according to instructions on package.

While pasta cooks, season shrimp with salt & pepper.  In a separate sauce pan, sauté shrimp in olive oil and red pepper flakes until almost done, apx 3 minutes – shrimp should still be a bit opaque in the middle.  Transfer shrimp to plate and set aside.

Add stock and wine and reduce 3 minutes.  Ladle red sauce into stock & wine mixture until it has the consistency of a thin soup – you may have a little red sauce left over.  Add back shrimp and warm gently.

When al dente, add hot pasta to sauce and mix.  Add pasta water to reach desired consistency – it should be loose and saucy.  Plate pasta and garnish with extra virgin olive oil, Italian parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4