Homemade Pesto and Shrimp Pasta
Written by Erika L Rich on August 13, 2009
A girlfriend just asked for the recipe I used earlier in the week to make that Pesto dish I posted pictures of, and since I took the time to type it all out, I figured I might as well post it for anyone else that is interested. There’s tons of Pesto recipes to be found on the ‘net, as well as quite a few Shrimp Pesto recipes … but this one I adapted to my own tastes.
Here’s the actual Pesto recipe I used. It’s one of those recipes/methods that sound so fantastic you just have to try it: 101Cookbooks.com Pesto
It takes a while and don’t be tempted to throw it in a food processor. The texture of it hand chopped is superb and well worth the work.
Then I just did a quick Shrimp saute of my own design:
1. 2 cloves of chopped garlic softened in about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium high heat in a wok-style pan or saute pan.
2. Add about a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of wine to the garlic and olive oil (depending on how many Shrimp – I cooked a pound which was 26 Shrimp). Optional: 1 tablespoon of butter.
3. After that comes to an almost immediate simmer, add the peeled and de-veined Shrimp and arrange so they are all one layer.
4. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. I cook them on one side until the pink starts showing thru to the raw top. About 3 minutes on medium high.
5. Turn them all over, cook another 2 minutes. You really don’t want to overcook the Shrimp.
6. The Pesto recipe makes a lot. So now it’s up to your tastes. If you like a LOT of Pesto taste, add it all. But I think that is over the top. I added about half of what you saw me make in the pictures. I spooned it into the pan immediately after the 2 minutes was up and then flipped/stirred the Shrimp to coat them all in the Pesto then took it off the heat.
7. Of course during all this you had your preferred pasta cooking 
So now you’ve got 2 ways to serve it.
a. Spoon the shrimp over your pasta on a plate/bowl
b. Add the pasta to the mixture in the pan and toss and coat it, then dish it.
The picture of the final dish you see in my pictures, I had spooned it over the pasta. Sometimes I toss it in the pan though.
Finish it all off for presentation with a basil leaf and fresh grated parmesan!
I hope you like it. The smell is HEAVENLY throughout the whole process. I’m so glad I grew some basil this year. By the time you are done with preparing and cooking it, you’re ravenous.
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