Recipe

Capellini with Shrimp, Drunken Cherries and Basil

Photo by wssmom

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Seafood Pasta
Chef
wssmom's Notes: The concept of adding dried fruit to pasta isn't new, but the addition of the dried cherries to the standard 'pasta with shrimp' came accidentally; basically, because I had some. Subsequent...
The concept of adding dried fruit to pasta isn't new, but the addition of the dried cherries to the standard 'pasta with shrimp' came accidentally; basically, because I had some. Subsequent renditions of the dish added brandy (also because I had some) and parmesan (because I wanted some). The extras make the dish a bit more interesting, I think. As does the brandy.

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Take the brandy out of the liquor cabinet, and pour yourself a shot. Bottoms up! Then, take the other 1 1/2 ounces of the brandy and pour it over the dried cherries whilst you go about the rest of the recipe, starting by boiling the water for the capellini.
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Melt the butter into the olive oil in a large skillet; add the green onions and the garlic and cook over medium-low heat until translucent.
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Crank up the heat a bit, add the shrimp, and saute 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are almost done.
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Using a knife to restrain the cherries, carefully pour the brandy over the shrimp. Using a long kitchen match, stand back, avert your face, and cautiouslyy ignite the brandy. Stir to douse the flames. You can start cooking the pasta at this point.
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Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the broth, the drunken cherries, lemon juice and hot sauce to the pan and simmer a couple of minutes until the ingredients are somewhat acquainted.
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Add half the basil and half the parmesan; then stir in the reserved shrimp and heat through.
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Remove pasta from heat and drain (save some of the cooking liquid to add to the dish if it seems dry); place into a lovely bowl and pour the shrimp sauce over. Strew the remaining basil strips and cheese on top and serve forth.
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