Pasta

courtesy of sonic.net

artist:  Marylu Downing

painting title:  Pasta

lemon pepper pappardelle pasta with roasted shrimp and tomato

utensils

large pot to boil water

2 baking pans (aluminum foil, optional)

collander

small bowl and large spoon

very small bowl or large cup and fork (for egg and oil)

cutting board and large knife with a seraded edge

small cutting knife (for garlic)

large serving bowl

ingredients

an 8 oz package of Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

a package of frozen TJ Wild Argentinian Shrimp

4-5 tomatoes on a vine

about 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

kalamata olives, to taste

olive oil, to taste

1 large egg

1 large, juicy lemon, sliced in half

grated parmesan, romano, or asiago cheese, to taste


seasonings, to taste

curry
smoked paprika

rosemary powder
thyme
basil

sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Istvan Takacs

Hungarian Paprika Vendor - Budapest Big Hall

procedure

TOMATOES

1.  preheat your over to 350 degrees. 

2.  slice your tomatoes into about 3-4 ovals per tomato.

3.  pour some olive oil into a baking pan.  one tomatoe slice at a time, *grease it* briefly in the olive oil, flip, *grease* the other side and slide it over to make room for another tomato slice to be treated similarly.  do this for each tomato slice until all are oiled and arranged in the baking pan, with the bottom of the pan oiled as well.

4.  add about 1/2 of your garlic clove slices, sprinkling them over the tomatoes.  

5.  season with salt, pepper, basil, rosemary, and thyme.

6.  at this point, you can also add your kalamata olives to be roasted - or save them to be added later to the pasta, uncooked.

7.  place in oven for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes are beginning to carmelize and brown nicely.

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Jack Gavigan

tomatoes on display at

Borough Market in London

SHRIMP

1.  in your mixing bowl, pour a small pool of olive oil, add curry and smoked paprika to taste, and mix with a spoon.

2.  add your frozen shrimp and toss, somewhat, since they are frozen, and some pieces may be stuck together and so on.

3.  add the juice of 1/2 lemon and toss some more.

4.  season further with salt, pepper, rosemary powder, thyme, and basil - tossing again.

5.  spread the shrimp in another baking pan (if some are frozen together, don't seperate them), sprinkle the other 1/2 of your garlic slices throughout, and put aside until it's time to put them in the oven.

6.  put the shrimp in the oven roughly 15-20 minutes before the tomatoes are finished.

7.  when the tomatoes are removed from the oven, raise the heat to broil, and finish your shrimps in the broiler for about 5 minutes, turning them 2 or 3 times in that short period.  (watch them carefully here.)

8.  after removing the shrimp, squeeze the juice of the other 1/2 lemon on them.

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Donar Reiskoffer

Lemon Tree at the Amalfi coast, Italy

PASTA

1.  put your salted water on to boil so that it is ready for adding pasta about 10 ten minutes before the tomatoes and shrimp are finished.

2.  follow the package directions for preparing the pasta - which is about 10 minutes boiling.

3.  while pasta is cooking, beat a large egg with about 1/4 cup olive oil or a little less.

4.  drain your pasta, when finished, in a collander.

5.  put pasta in a large bowl and toss quickly with egg and olive oil mixture.  see further blogging on simple egg sauce here.


now for art: 

in individual plates or the serving bowl - distribute your tomatoes, shrimp, garlic, and olives (roasted or not).  be sure to dribble the juice from the shrimp roasting pan on top of the pasta, as well.  add grated parmesan, romano, or asiago. 

serve and enjoy!  nice with a glass of red wine.  crusty bread and salad is also lovely, of course, with pasta.

courtesy of wikipedia

photographer:  Nick Fraser

The fruit of an olive tree

by the Dead Sea in Jordan, 2005

more pasta blogging here.

- o.s.r.