Surprise Recipe!

I have had a hankering for shrimp lately, my parents noticed it too when I kept pointing out that shrimp had been on sale the past few weeks at Wegmans and Price Chopper. So, finally my dad gave in and brought the shrimp! I originally was going to slightly bread the shrimp, pan fry  it and serve it with pesto pasta. But, upon perusing the price chopper site, I saw this great recipe! To my surprise, we already had all the ingredients for the  recipe! It was like it was meant to be!

I waited until all 4 of us would be home for dinner, since my brother and I both have inconsistent work schedules and never seem to really match up. The dish was very  easy to prepare and took less than 30 minutes to make. This would be good for any season, especially on Friday's during Lent  due  to the shrimp!

Rotelli with Shrimp in Tomato Cream
Yields 4-6 servings

1 lb. Rotelli, cooked as package directs
4 1/2 tbsp. Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, minces
1/2 tsp. Salt
6 leaves fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 lb. Shrimp peeling and deveined
1 1/2 tbsp. Flour
1 1/2 Half and Half
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste

In a sauce pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomato puree, salt and fresh basil.  Simmer over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan. Cover and keep warm. In the same skillet, melt 1 1/2 tbsp.  butter. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk  in half and half. Cook until sauce is smooth and thick.  Whisk in tomato paste. Spoon in cream sauce into  saucepan containing tomato cause. Mix well. Add shrimp and simmer until heated through. Add shrimp and mixture to cooked pasta and toss.


If you aren't a shrimp eater, you could substitute it for smoked turkey sausage or grilled chicken breast.