the one with the c-i-y: basil shrimp and pasta

People who know me thins I'm a good cook. They say I seem to be knowledgeable when it comes to cooking and food in general. I remember back in college, I was a member of the Food Committee of my group/org for 3 years and on my last year I co-chaired the committee. Mind you, mahirap ang maging member ng FoodCom. This is how it went. After every event that the group organized, i.e concert, seminar, FoodCom will be the one responsible for the food to be served for the hard working members. So matinding menu planning ito no at kailangan meron talagang marunong magluto sa FoodCom dahil around 50-60 members of the group ang kailangang i-please ang panlasa, kapag hindi, food will be put into waste. I remember there was a time that we had to cook and serve around 100 people! Catering lang ang peg!  However, when I was appointed as a co-chair, I did not believe them when they said I can lead the committee. But I was just happy that I have a "say" to what food should be served.  Hehe.

Anyway, what my friends don't know is that I am just a plain foodie - a.k.a masarap at mahilig lang kumain. Not a cook period. Nagkataon lang na mahilig akong manood ng mga food and travel channels at marami akong kaibigan magaling magluto at mahilig din kumain katulad ko. J

Ok fine, I know the basics - magsaing ng kanin, magprito ng kahit anong napiprito, maglaga ng kahit anong pwedeng ilaga, magluto ng instant pancit canton, mami, spaghetti at ng marami pang kung anu-anong instant. The thing is I can only cook with a cookbook and measuring cups & spoons. Hindi ako magaling sa mga pacham (patsamba) mealshindi katulad ni daddy na kayang mag abrakadabra ng masarap na ulam ng kahit anong galing sa fridge. Matabang ang panlasa ko so hindi mapagkakatiwalaan.

Since my passion is to learn new things, naisip kong dagdagan ang mga pagkain kaya kong lutuin. Thus the start of my C-I-Y aka Cook It Yourself series. J My first victim - pasta.

Ok fine. They say if one wants to learn how to cook one should start with a pasta dish as pasta is one of the easiest to do. E bakit ba? gusto ko ng bagong pasta dish aside from the spaghetti with meat sauce.

Presenting.. BASIL SHRIMP AND PASTA

Saw this recipe from one of my old Women's Health mag copies. O diba parang sosyal pero sobrang madali lang! and dahil nakitulog o sinabi ko na sa bahay matulog si Marie,  meron akong taste test-er! J

WATCHUNEED

The original recipe calls for:

• 8 ounces pasta such as spaghetti
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon <insert brand name here> (dried) Basil Leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon  <again, insert brand name here> Black Pepper, Ground

I made some tweaks and here is my version:

• 175 grams pasta - I know na kahit takpan ko ang brand ng pasta na ginamit ko e alam nyo na kung anong brand yan. Hehe.
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 kilo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 250 ml or 1 brick all purpose cream - again, kahit takpan ko ang brand e alam nyo naman na.. hoy effort yan no dahil in-edit ko pa!J
• 1 tablespoon <insert brand name here> (dried) Basil Leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon (kahit ordinaryong) ground black pepper

What I like about this dish is that it uses store bought dried basil leaves. Yes, fresh basil taste so much better, but for nagpapanggap na urbanite like me, these dried ones are so convenient J

WATCHADU

1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a skillet on medium

3. Add shrimp and garlic, cook and stir for 3 minutes or until shrimps turn pink

4. Remove from skillet and set aside.

5. Pour cream into skillet. 

6. Add basil. Bring to boil, stirring gently.
Reduce heat to low; 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened stirring frequently

 

7. Add cooked shrimp. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you want to be a cheesy version, omit the salt and add cheese.
I forgot to buy me some cheese so I used salt instead J
Cook and stir for 1 minute or until heated through.

8. Add the pasta to the shrimp mixture.
I like mixing the pasta with the sauce on skillet
but you can go the other way around by pouring the sauce over plated pasta.
Have it your way J

Finished product.. BON APPETIT!J

Whachathink pare?

The dish serves 4 but it only takes 2 of our kind to finish it all. Hehe. J

Some gooey distorted slice of caramel chocolate cake for dessert.

(cake not included in the dish J)

Sabi naman ni Marie she liked it daw (obvious ba, naubos naming 2..), meaning my first attempt spells S U C C E S S!!! What do we have?... WAGI! 

So what to try next? Lengua Estofado? Beef Bourguignon? Samgyupsal? Hey, hey hold your horses cowboy.. They sound really good pero ambisyosa ko lang and to think I am not a fan of Ox tongue tapos ang lakas ko lang maka-Lengua Estofado?! Haha. Baby steps my darling, baby steps..

I know what's next.. cleaning up!

merci merci

PS: @jenniepperson ang inspirasyon ko sa lutu-lutuan ganap. If I'm brave enough, will try her recipes soon.J