Dan was feeling under the weather today and had to leave work early. What does one feed to a sick person? Ginger ale and soda crackers? How boring! And so sad. I figured something heartier would perk his immune system up faster.
I've been reading Closet Cooking a lot lately, and the guy loves his shrimp. He's got recipes for Thai Lemon Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Po' Boys...just to name a few. He also had a great recipe for Shrimp Carbonara, and I just happened to have all the ingredients to make it. Shrimp has a lot of protein in it, right? And I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that carbohydrates do a body good.
The dish came together super quickly and was amazingly delicious. The shrimp was plump and tender, and while I didn't have any linguine, spaghetti worked wonderfully with the creamy, cheesy sauce. Dan gobbled down a heaping bowlful before crawling back onto the couch for a nap. He's looking better already!
Shrimp Carbonara (Adapted from Closet Cooking's Recipe)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 box of linguine (or spaghetti)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled/de-veined
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Steps:
(1) Start cooking the pasta.
(2) In a medium-sized pan, cook the bacon. Set bacon aside and get rid of all but 1 tbsp of the bacon grease.
(3) Add shrimp and garlic to the bacon pan, saute until just cooked.
(4) In a separate bowl, mix yolk, parmesan, and heavy cream. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
(5) Drain pasta, then add it to the pan. Toss until shrimp and pasta are well-combined.
(6) When sizzling sounds stop, pour egg/cheese mixture into the pan. Toss until pasta is well-coated.
(7) Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.