Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Shrimp in Vodka Sauce



I am so excited about this dish. I just wish I had more pictures. When I started, I grabbed my camera and turned it on; my battery was dead. My daughters were out and had their cameras with them, I went after my husband's SLR and was trying to figure out how to use it and the battery went dead. My camera battery charged enough to snap the photo to the left at completion.

Debbie at Mocha Me posted a wonderful Tomato Vodka Sauce recipe last week that looked fabulous. I am a fan of a good tomato vodka sauce and her recipe sounded so simple I had to try it. As Debbie said in her post, "...this is a sauce that rocks!!!" - she didn't exaggerate. I tweaked it a bit and wound up with such an incredible tasting tomato sauce variation. The shrimp just put it way over the top.

The recipe calls for 1 onion chopped. I didn't want the strong onion taste in the sauce so I substituted 3 scallions finely chopped. I felt the scallions would give the sauce a milder, sweeter onion taste along with a hint of a garlic flavor without being over powering. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add minced scallions to skillet and saute until transparent. Add one 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes and cook over moderate heat for about 25 minutes or until almost no liquid remains in skillet. Stir frequently. Increase heat and add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of vodka and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a light boil, reduce heat add 1 pound of peeled shrimp (41-50 count); boil for 2 minutes, sauce will thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over your favorite cooked pasta. Top with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

21 comments:

John Roberts said...

Sounds great even without the additional photos! Now, go buy an extra set of batteries, and keep one set charged at all times. You never know when inspiration for a new dish will hit you!

April said...

Oh my!! This dish looks so good! I am just going to start showing up at your house for dinner every night!

Greg C said...

I thought you were going to say then throw away the pasta and drink the gravy. Sorry old joke. I am thinking more vodka in mine.

Lori said...

I second April's comment. Wish we were coming to your house for dinner! I MUST try this one. It doesn't even sound all that difficult for a lazy cook like me.

Pam said...

I've never made vodka sauce but it sounds delicious.

My camera battery seems to always die when I need to take a picture. UGH.

Debra said...

Looks tasty!!

Michele said...

Playing around with a recipe is a lot of fun. You never know what you are going to come up with. I haven't had a good vodka sauce in ages. It's something that I seldom make at home because I am the only one who enjoys it. Maybe this recipe will change their minds.

Ralonda said...

Love, love, love a good vodka sauce... looks fantastic!

Marjie said...

This looks beautiful. I do, however, love Greg's comment; the man is funny.

The Blonde Duck said...

Awww! I've had those battery moments too. They always go out at the worst moment!

La Bella Cooks said...

I love the vodka sauce and I use it as a quick standby at times. I have yet to try it on shrimp but this goes right on the list of things to try.

NKP said...

Oh, that looks so wonderful. Pasta is my favourite thing to eat - the shrimp and vodka sauce must have been out of this world.
(ps, my point and shoot camera likes to go dead right when I need it most too!)

gigi said...

Tomatoes and Shrimp! Mmmm Good!

That's funny the brother giving you advice on camera batteries

Jenny said...

Wow does this ever sound good! I've got to stop blogging when I'm starving! Looks great!

Aggie said...

This sounds sooooo delicious! I love vodka sauce, it's one of my all time faves, I've never made it at home, am bookmarking this one!

susan said...

One photo is enough for me to start drooling!

Debbie said...

Glad you liked the sauce..I think I will try shrimp with it next time. Yours looks too good to pass up!!!

Reeni said...

It looks and sounds really delicous; especially with the shrimp!

Veronica said...

Sounds delicous...I hate when the camera dies just when you have a fabulous something to photograph!

NuKiwi said...

This sounds lovely - I am going to have to try it with some prawns I just bought...let you know how it goes!

NuKiwi said...

Well...I modified it ever so slightly, and added chicken and veggies to the prawns...and it was gorgeous! I'll be posting it in the next few days and will, of course, give you kudos!!!