Diary of a Pastaholic : Fettuccine Shrimp Fra Diablo

Among my family and close friends, I am well known for my obsession for anything and everything that is to do with pasta. Baked, fried, sautéed - my addiction for it has no boundaries. There are times when I will travel to uncharted territories just to find the ultimate pasta dish (although most definitely Italy is not within the range where I can travel to at this point of time).

One of my favourites back then was a dish served in Italiannies, One Utama. However, it has been recently taken off the menu for reasons unknown, even when I made enquiries with the staff. Ever since then, I have been looking high and low within the Klang Valley area, dragging my "mobile bank" with me and subjecting him to many pasta tasting sessions when in fact, he is not even a pasta fan at all (yes, I know, I can be cruel sometimes). After many frustrating expeditions, in which I have failed to acquire the same dish that I crave for, I finally decided to make it on my own. Hence the current post.

Here comes the recipe :


Fettuccine Shrimp Fra Diablo
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Ingredients:
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1 packet 500gm fettuccine (cooked as per instruction on the packet)
3 tbs. Olive Oil
12 Large Peeled Shrimp (deveined and leave the tails intact)
3 tbs. Chopped Garlic
1 large Bombay (yellow) Onions - Diced
1/4 cup Blanched Asparagus
1/2 cup Raw Spinach
3 tbs. Toasted Pine Nuts ( raw pine nuts can be bought in selected supermarkets then fried without oil at a low heat until they turn golden brown )
6 Diced Large and Juicy Tomatoes
2 tbs. tomatoo puree
1/3 cup Cream
2 tbs. sweet soya sauce
3 tbs. light soya sauce
1/4 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese (feta cheese)
1 tsp. Chopped Parsley & Spring Onions
2 tsp. paprika
Pepper to Taste


Method:
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1. Preheat pan and add the olive oil and shrimp. Add some paprika and sauté until pink and opaque on the outside. Once cooked, remove from pan and set it aside to rest.
2. Add the garlic, onions, and some pine nuts. Add a dash of pepper. Sauté until fragrant or onions became trasparent.
3. Add the tomatoes. Cook until it resembles a sauce. Add tomato puree followed by the cream. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
4. Add the light and sweet soya sauces - to taste. Add the asparagus, spinach and the remaining pine nuts. Lastly, add the cooked shrimps. Cover the pan for 2 minutes or until spinach stars to wilt.
5. Add the cooked fettuccine and allow the pasta to heat for one minute while stirring gently to heat the pasta evenly.
6. Lift the pasta out of the pan. Top with the sauce, crumbled goat cheese, a dash of paprika and
chopped parsley with spring onions.
7. Best serve hot.


*Note : I often use soya sauce to substitute sugar and salt. It adds an Asian twist to it.



Result wise?? I believe I have satisfied many hungry tummies that day, although I can't be too sure whether the compliments received were genuine enough - they are afterall, my family. They have no choice but to support me anyway ;).

I know they say that a picture paint a thousand words. Well then, let's have them speak for themselves, shall we ??



**P/S : My apologies for the low quality pictures. Obviously I require a camera with a higher resolution in order to obtain better results *Cough, cough* Am a Libran...**hint, hint ;)