As the summer comes to an end, one of the things I’ll miss most during the cold months in DC is the opportunity to have long candlelit dinners on our rooftop. The recipe below comes from a surprise dinner that my wonderful boyfriend, Michael, made a while back. No doubt we will be recreating this delicious recipe soon while we can take advantage of this beautiful September weather and fit in a few more rooftop evenings! 🙂
The first dish, angel hair pasta with shrimp scampi, is the perfect savory summer dish. We love that it’s light, colorful, and easily adapted to suit whatever summer flavors you want to incorporate!
For a quick dinner, cook pasta until al dente while sautéing shrimp in olive oil and garlic until fragrant. Add white wine and lemon juice on high heat and reduce, adding in butter and a ladle full of pasta water.
Add shrimp and vegetables (we used cherry tomatoes and yellow squash) until cooked through, pour over your pasta, and garnish with freshly chopped basil, parsley, and lemon zest. If you want to give it a kick, you can also add red pepper flakes, but for those of us who aren’t big fans of spice an extra sprinkle of basil also does the trick! Serve with fresh baguette and wine. Bon appetit!
A quick note on cooking with wine: Michael used Rodney Strong’s Sauvignon Blanc to make his reduction. Whenever you’re cooking with a white wine, I highly recommend using a dry, crisp white wine such as a Pinto Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or (unoaked) Chardonnay since acidic flavors will stand up to the heat better than overly sweet ones. You can then use the rest for drinking wine to accompany your dish—it’s a win win!
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