There’s nothing like being stuck in a plane, waiting on the runway at JFK airport for 4 hours. There’s also nothing like landing at Sea-Tac airport at 3:30am on a Monday, 5 hours after you originally planned…knowing that you have to be in the office in 5 hours. Let’s just say that when it came to making dinner on Monday night, I wanted to make something *really* easy and delicious.

Why not just order food and take the night off from the kitchen? As much as I love to cook, I recognize the value of delivery pizza and take out Chinese food. But, I had just spent 8 days in New York, and that meant eating out for every meal. There comes a time when all you are craving is something homemade…even if that means being half asleep while cooking.

I avoided anything too ambitious, and decided that pasta was a safe start. I came across a recipe on Everyday Food that had a delicious combination of sugar snap peas, petite peas, ricotta, and tarragon (one of my favorite herbs). I was eager to use ricotta cheese in a dish other than lasagna; perhaps it’s underused these days? This recipe seemed simple enough to make, even in my zombie-like state of mind. I modified the recipe by adding pancetta and garlic to give some more depth in flavor and lemon zest to lighten up the ricotta sauce. Also, I topped off the dish with some parmigiano-reggiano cheese to give it a nice salty finish.
Pasta with Peas, Ricotta & Pancetta
Serves 4

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces gemelli, campanelle,or other short pasta
12 ounces sugar snap peas, stem ends removed
10 ounces frozen petite peas
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Zest of 2 lemons
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large skillet at medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until crispy and golden. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add minced garlic. Let garlic cook for a few minutes, watching closely to avoid burning. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2. Fill a large pot with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bring water to a boil, and add pasta. Cook until pasta is close to al dente, but not quite done.

3. To the boiling water, add snap peas and cook for no more than 2 minutes. Add petite peas and cook for an additional minute. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water; set aside. Drain pasta peas.

4. Add pasta and peas to the large skillet with the pancetta and garlic. Add butter, tarragon, lemon zest, and ricotta. If the sauce is too thick due to the ricotta, add the reserved pasta water until you have a thin sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Garnish with chopped tarragon, lemon zest, and parmagiano-reggiano cheese. Serve immediately.

I’ll admit, cooking during a busy work week can be a quite a challenge.  This week was no exception with tight work deadlines, evening events, and, well, laundry.  Sometimes there  are days, weeks, or even months when one needs to fall back on the “safeties” - recipes that are quick, simple and delicious.  One of my favorite go-to dishes is Grilled Shrimp Scampi.  The recipe doesn’t involve a lot of ingredients, and the bulk of them are fairly common in most kitchens (garlic, olive oil, pasta…)  Just a quick trip to the store for fresh shrimp, and I’m 30 minutes away from a dinner I can be proud of, even during the busiest of times.

Over the last few years, I’ve tried a few different variations of this classic Sicilian dish.  My recipe below highlights some of favorite ingredients and cooking methods.  The sauce is deceptively rich, with its olive oil base; however, adding fresh parsley and chopped capers lightens up the dish.  When it comes to cooking with wine, don’t skimp.  The rule of thumb is to choose a wine that you’d actually drink.  If that means $2 buck Chuck, then go for it.  I chose an $8 bottle of Columbia Winery Chardonnay, and had enough leftover to drink with dinner.  Also, I like to marinate my shrimp for about an hour before throwing the skewers on the grill.   I find that the shrimp takes on much more flavor using this method, as opposed to a traditional sauté.

Caution – Skewers, especially metal, get very very hot while on the grill (obvious, I know…).  While making this dish last night, and in an effort to avoid overcooked shrimp, I quickly grabbed a metal skewer, only to burn my fingers really badly.  The good news is that I was able to finish the recipe, take a photo, and eat.  The bad news is that it has taken me way too long to type this entry (one hand in water, the other one typing).  Grill with caution common sense…and enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp Scampi
Serves 4

Pasta
3/4 lb capellini (angel hair) pasta
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Grilled Shrimp
1lb fresh shrimp, deveined, still with shell on
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. To a small mixing bowl, add 1/3 cup olive oil, lemon, garlic clove, salt, and pepper.  Whisk together until well-combined.

2. Lay shrimp flat on a large baking dish or non-aluminum pan.  Pour marinade over the shrimp.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 3 hours.

3. When ready to grill, thread the shrimp on skewers and discard marinade.  If using wooden skewers, let the skewers soak in water for 20 minutes to avoid burning. Transfer the shrimp skewers to the grill, and grill on one side.  Turn once and remove after a minute or two.  Once cool enough to handle, remove shells and set shrimp aside.

4.  In a large skillet, heat 1/8 cup olive oil to medium-high heat.  Add garlic, red pepper flakes, wine, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes allowing for the flavors to infuse the oil and the wine to cook off.  Add butter, then grilled shrimp and gently stir.  Remove from heat, then add italian parsley and capers.

5.  For the pasta, fill a large pot with water and a generous pinch or two of salt.  Bring water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain in a colander, but save a cup of pasta water for the sauce.

6.  Add pasta to the skillet and gently toss with the shrimp.  Depending on your preference, you may want to add some of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.  Serve while still warm.