IHCC: Using Your Noodle

I Heart Cooking Clubs' theme this week is "Using Your Noodle."  We're talking pasta, people!

Being a carboholic, you'd think I'd be as happy as fettuccine bathed in Alfredo.

You'd be wrong. 

Major rut I'm talking about. 
Or maybe major crabbiness?  No...no.  Of course not. 

Inspecting Giada's pasta recipes, I was channeling some inner Goldilocks.  

This one was too time consuming.  That one had ingredients that were too expensive.  This one used too much summer produce (better saved for another season).  Giada.  Dare I say it?  Queen of Pasta.  And I can't find a stinkin' pasta recipe that's juuuust right!

But then I saw that a local store had beautiful Gulf shrimp on sale.  And Kim of Stirring the Pot talked about her obsession with shrimp.  That made me want shrimp even more.  And it made me think of my own obsession: lemon. 

And it all finally clicked.  A recipe I've seen during past IHCC themes.  A recipe that fit all my nit-picky criteria. 

Giada's Linguine w/ Shrimp & Lemon Oil

Notes:
~ We simply don't have arugula here.  I used baby spinach instead.  Spinach is another obsession of mine anyway.

~ The garlic was doubled, some red pepper flakes thrown in, and I didn't strain the lemon oil, meaning double the lemon zest.

~ I think green onions and lemon are made for each other.   So I added 2 green onions.  By now my family knows that if we're having something lemony, green onions are going in too
...and they better not say boo about it.

~ I had really high hopes for this recipe.  It didn't disappoint.  This pasta wasn't too bland.  This pasta wasn't too lemony.  This pasta was just right.


Also linking up with

Presto Pasta Nights #202 coming up on Friday, Feb. 25.  It will be hosted by Beth Anne of The Seventh Level of Boredom 

Printable Recipe

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

adapted from Giada's Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis

For the lemon oil
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
Combine the olive oil and lemon zest and set aside.

For the pasta
3/4 lb linguine
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 c baby spinach
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c chopped parsley

 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the shrimp and season with red pepper flakes. Cook until shrimp are pink. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Toss in the pasta along with the salt and pepper. Add the lemon oil, spinach, green onion, and parsley and toss again until well mixed and the spinach has wilted. If needed, add a small amount of pasta water until desired consistency is reached.