We are getting set for a snowy weekend here in Pittsburgh. There are supposed to be 3 weather systems moving through the area, first one coming through tonight dropping 1-3in, freezing rain and flurries coming through on Saturday, and then Sunday night we're supposed to get 4-8in! By no means are we expecting to get snowed in, but we're looking forward to a snowy weekend together. Doesn't it sound nice to be snuggled up on the couch, watching the snow fall, in front of the fireplace? Oh, and I've got a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub in my plans too!
Before all that though, I need to make dinner. I've got a super comforting, stomach filling, perfect for a cold January evening dinner for you. Shrimp scampi is delicious, but it's usually completely loaded with butter. Not joking, all the recipes I found called for an entire stick of butter. Not very diet friendly. Another problem with traditional shrimp scampi recipes is that they're pretty light on the veggies. I was determined to make something lighter and with more veggies. I hope you and your family can enjoy my healthier shrimp scampi with roasted broccoli.
First step is to zest a lemon. You need about a tablespoon of lemon zest.
Next chop up a shallot. A shallot is like a baby onion, except on steroids. They may be tiny, but they pack as much flavor as a regular onion. Here's a great article on
shallot vs. onion. If you only have an onion, go ahead and use it. But I do highly recommend going out of your way for the shallot. Here's what they look like in case you're curious.
After everything is chopped, zested, and ready for cooking, go ahead and get your broccoli ready for roasting. Have you ever roasted your broccoli? If I'm being honest, this was my first time. I usually either steam it, or pop it in the microwave. I tossed my broccoli with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and some red pepper flakes then put it in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Before:
Boy oh boy when it came out of the oven it was all I could do to not shove it all in my mouth. It smelled delicious. I cut off the stems (saved them for lunch tomorrow), and put the heads aside to toss in my scampi. Of course I sampled one first. It was like caramelized broccoli. It had a nice deep flavor, but was kind of sweet too. Waaaayyy more flavorful than steaming.
After:
Because I'm watching my calories, I bought a food scale to help with my portion sizes. One serving of angel hair pasta is 2oz. Remember we're making 2 servings.
This recipe only calls for 1 TABLESPOON of butter, not an entire stick! Get that into your pan and melt it.
Saute your garlic and shallots in the melted butter. Add liquids to make a sauce. Then let the sauce reduce by half. It should look something like this.
Add your shrimp to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember that you only need to heat your shrimp up because they're already fully cooked.
Next step is just finishing up the dish. Toss your shrimp, pasta, and broccoli together, fully coating everything in the sauce. And voila!
Stay safe and warm everyone!
Shrimp
Scampi with Roasted Broccoli
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1lb frozen broccoli florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 shallots, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Juice from half a lemon, about 2 Tbsp
4 oz angel hair pasta
1 Tbsp butter
¼ cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1lb medium pre-cooked shrimp, thawed
Directions:
1. 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss
frozen broccoli with olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, and salt. Pour out
onto baking sheet, and roast for 15-20 minutes. Your broccoli should be
starting to get brown around the edges. Set aside to toss with pasta and shrimp
later.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package
instructions.
3. 3. Melt butter in sauté pan, add shallot
and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shallot becomes translucent and
garlic is fragrant. Add chicken stock, wine, lemon zest and juice to pan.
Scrape bottom of pan to release the delicious browned bits from the garlic and
shallot. Bring sauce to a boil, continue to boil until sauce has reduced by
half. Add shrimp to sauce, and toss to coat shrimp. Cook until shrimp is just
heated through, then remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. 4. Drain the pasta, then immediately toss
with sauce, shrimp, and roasted broccoli.
