Years ago we used to frequent an Italian restaurant where the owner named a pink pasta dish after himself. The sauce contained chopped shrimp and capers. My husband, who usually avoids sauces with cream, enjoys this dish.
The other thing he avoids eating is capers. In fact, the first time he decided to order this dish at the restaurant, he requested it without capers. I can still see the owner, Vincenzo, glaring down at him before answering matter-of-factly while gesturing, “You’ll have it with the capers. The capers are a what gives it the flavor.”
How could Michael argue with such authoritativeness? So, whenever I make this dish at home, I am sure to remind him with a smile, “The capers are a what gives it the flavor.” Indeed and this meal couldn’t be simpler. I don’t often buy cream, but I had a shelf stable carton hanging around just in case the mood should strike. Not a bad suggestion for your pantry.
The other day I was in the mood for cheesecake, so I opened the carton of cream to make some. What to do with the remainder? Take some shrimp out of the freezer and make Spaghetti alla Vincenzo, of course. No waste, remember?
What’s in a pink sauce? Tomatoes and cream. Throw some dried herbs in for good measure. What did I use here? I had previously pureed some ingredients in the food processor for pizza sauce and had just enough left over to make this. Here’s what went into that sauce:
- a few cloves of garlic
- canned chopped tomatoes
- dried basil
- dried oregano
- dried thyme
- olive oil
After sitting in the refrigerator for a couple days, the flavors have had a chance to marry and it’s even more delicious.
What Else Goes Into This Pink Pasta Sauce?
While the pasta water boiled, I put the aforementioned tomato sauce into a skillet to simmer along with some capers.
I boiled the shrimp shells in another pot to make stock. I pulled out of the refrigerator a small container of leftover white bean soup and the cream. Here I go with all my bits and bobs of leftovers…Zero waste cooking!
Yes, they were THE REASON I decided to make this dish. You could certainly make it with just tomatoes and cream. But the previously prepared bean soup was also made with shrimp originally and I figured that the bean puree would add another depth of flavor and creaminess to my sauce along with the freshly prepared shrimp stock.
The Takeaway
Here’s why I don’t do recipes and you don’t have to either. Get creative with what you have and find a way to use everything. Develop your intuition in the kitchen. Cooking wonderful meals really is that simple.
After cutting my raw shrimp in half, I seasoned them with garlic powder, salt and French thyme. I added them to the sauce to cook during the last couple of minutes of cooking the pasta because shrimp cook very quickly. You don’t want to toughen them by overcooking. Just a couple of minutes turns them pink and opaque.
A simple and elegant meal that brings us together as we recall fond memories. That is what food is all about. Don’t you agree?
Read Shrimp and Grits next for another shrimp meets pantry meal based on memories. What do your memories inspire you to cook?
My mom makes this same dish…almost. I don’t have whipping cream but I’m gonna try it with Half n half.
Half&Half is perfect. Use what you have and make it wonderful.