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06/25/2020 12:01 AMThe drive back from Rochester was uneventful, but on the way I realized that I had driven 13 hours in the past 30 hours. It was a lot of driving for me. I got home around 5 p.m., boiled some ziti, and added two packages of basil pesto I’d frozen last year, topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
It was delish and I was in bed by 9 p.m.
The night before, I had figured on and planned for about six people for dinner. Ten members of the family turned up.
But, with a big salad, two boxes of rigatoni, two enormous pots of Sunday Gravy sauce (with four kinds of meat in it), and garlic bread, we had almost enough food for all. My sister-in-law Roslyn made us peanut butter cookies.
We made so many memories in her home, including the first time I’d met my soon-to-be husband. We had such a good time, but wondered whether it might be the last time we would all be together.
Two days later, Roslyn, her daughter Jamisyn, and Jamisyn’s daughter left New York with Ros’s border collie, heading out for Jamie’s home in New Mexico.
It may be a long visit for Roslyn, or it may be forever.
In any case, I had not made a big dinner for three months, since the pandemic curtailed the spring of 2020.
The day after I returned home, I raided the freezer in my garage and found some red shrimp I had bought at Trader Joe’s, maybe a year ago or maybe longer than that. I remembered being excited when I bought it, because the only red shrimp I’d seen was from Stonington Seafood. The Bomsters, who owned Stonington Seafood, sold only the seafood that had caught themselves, on their own boat, where they were able to flash-freeze within minutes. Do you remember when, getting seafood there, you picked up your fish from a freezer and left the money on an honor system?
Anyway, I thawed the Trader Joe’s shrimp on a colander, then dried it and made scampi. (By the way, scampi is an Italian name for shrimp, so there is really no reason to call it shrimp scampi). It made a whole lot, so I topped the scampi on a pound of linguine and shared it with my neighbors.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
ScampiYield: 4 servings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (or a little more) good white wine
1 pound extra-large shrimp, shelled, deveined, dried
a little chicken broth for extra liquid, if needed
(homemade or good canned)
20 to 25 grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or
Romano cheese (optional)
a box of two of your favorite pasta
Bring large pot of water over high heat.
While water is coming to a boil, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter. Add garlic; sauté for 30 to 45 seconds. Add white wine and allow to reduce. Add zest and stir. Reduce heat and add shrimp. When they turn pink and curl up, turn them over. When done, add tomatoes (if using) and lemon juice and cook for another few minutes. Add another 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook for a minute. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss with parsley (or toss parsley when serving).
Meanwhile, liberally salt boiling water and add pasta. Cook just until al dente (something a little less than package directions say). Drain pasta, and then add to sauce. Toss. Serve hot (and, although Italian purists cringe, I also serve and serve freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese).