End of Summer Shrimp Scampi

After a wonderful holiday weekend, the summer is supposedly over and it's time to get back to work. I wish I could say I jumped right on it and had a productive day, but I can't really say that. Instead, I tried to figure out new and creative ways to keep my 7 month old stimulated so that he wouldn't get bored and start to fuss. It's getting harder and harder to do and I wasn't entirely successful.

I decided to try this park that is located nearby in Surfside. It's right on the intercoastal on Bay Drive and it seemed like a nice spot. It was. I liked that it had a play area for bigger kids that was separate from the play area for much younger kids. So we hit the swings in the little kid area and sat on the grass to watch some of the older kids playing around. I think Baz enjoyed that.

I got the idea because this past weekend we took Baz to brunch with us and then went to a park down in South Beach where he rode his very first park swing. And he loved it! It had been such a good day too. We had brunch at Big Pink on Collins and 2nd Street which was the perfect place to bring a baby. It's crowded, lively and loud so even if he had cried it wouldn't have been noticed. Plus with so much going on, Baz loved every minute of it. He flirted with the waitress and customers alike and enjoyed his time in the high chair. It was a very successful outing for us.

But, it's time to start cooking again. Tonight I thought I'd go for one of our old standbys - Shrimp Scampi. It's so easy to make and can look pretty impressive if you ever want to make it for company. I use frozen shrimp that I get at Publix which makes it super easy since they are already deveined.

So here's how you make it:

Shrimp Scampi
1/2 box capellini or linguini
16 to 20 medium to large shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!)
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Put a pot of water on to boil. Add pasta and begin to cook to taste (I like al dente).

While pasta is cooking, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until golden. Sprinkle the hot pepper flakes over garlic and toast it. Add white wine and allow it the alcohol to evaporate (a minute or so.) Add salt and pepper.

A couple of minutes before the pasta has finished cooking, add butter to the garlic/wine sauce. As it is about to finish melting, add shrimp. Cook shrimp in the sauce until firm and pink (about 3 minutes).

Drain pasta leaving just a bit of the cooking water in the pot. Return pasta to the pot. Pour the shrimp and sauce over the pasta and mix well. Add the parsley and mix well.

We like to add a bit of Parmesan cheese over the individual servings which I think might not be authentically Italian. (I don't think Italians mix seafood and Parmesan cheese. But I like it.)