Pasta with romesco & shrimp

Last week I posted How to Roasted Peppers. Here I’ll give you ideas on how to use them! Home-roasted peppers are ideal for making a Spanish Romesco Sauce. Stir the sauce into spaghetti for a fantastic weeknight dinner: Pasta with romesco and shrimp.

Romesco comes from the Catalonian region of Spain, where it is spooned onto fish. You’ll see it on restaurant menus paired with octopus or smoked cod. Think of it as a pesto’s cousin, but instead of green with basil, it’s red from peppers. Just like pesto, it’s fabulous schmeared on bread, stirred into pasta or couscous, or plopped alongside fish (or meat, or chicken!) Spoon it onto roasted veggies and take them to new heights. At our house, a batch of Romesco doesn’ t last too long, since I enjoy it straight from the spoon.

What makes the Hipcooks version of Romesco special?

A few things: I omit the tomato, for starters. Typically, romesco has roasted tomatoes with a hint of pepper. Go big on the sweet home-roasted peppers, and use lemon (rather than tomato) for a brighter acidic flavor.

Be a good Hipcook and always toast your nuts before using them. Dry toasting the nuts will make all the difference. Finally, use great-quality olive oil and the best Spanish paprika (look for Pimenton de la Vera). Since the finished product is no better than the quality of the ingredients that go into it, select the best, and your result will be the tastiest!

Wanna see how fast and easy it is to make?

Dinner was Delish!

If you have the will-power not to eat all the sauce, please try Pasta with romesco and shrimp. Just as you would pesto, stir the romesco into piping hot pasta. We sauteed the shrimp in olive oil with garlic, lemon and a little chile flakes. Garnish with parsley.

Pasta with romesco & shrimp

Print Recipe

 : serves 2 - 8 people, see notes below Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

For the romesco:
3 garlic cloves
2 cups raw and unslated almonds, dry toasted in a skillet
4 roasted red peppers
plenty of salt (at least 1 teaspoon)
a hearty sprinkle (1 teaspoon) cumin seed, freshly toasted and ground
a dash of cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat!)
a few shakes of Pimenton de la Vera
a few generous swirls of olive oil (about ½ cup)
juice of a lemon
a few sprigs of parsley leaves removed from the stem

For the pasta:
Spaghetti, capellini, linguine, or pasta of your choice. See note below to calculate how much you'll need
5 shrimp per person
a twirl of olive oil
plenty of garlic, slivered
chili flakes
garnish: parsley leaves

Instructions

Make the romesco:
Toss the garlic into a food processor (FP) and give it a whirl. Add the freshly toasted almonds and process again. Once the nuts are chopped, lift the lid off the FP and inhale. Wow, right?

Add the roasted peppers salt and spices and taste. Adjust the salt and spices, add a little olive oil for lubrication and richness, and a little lemon for lift. I love to add in some parsley for health, flavor and delightful green specs.

Make dinner:
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and toss in a little of olive oil and a smidge of pasta water. (For this step, I drain the pasta quickly and return to the pot.) Add scoopfuls of romesco and combine.

Cook the shrimp in olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and chile flakes, and pop atop the pasta. Perfect!

Notes

For the perfect amount of pasta for 2: cooked your index finger with your thumb to make an "O." There's your pasta-measurer!