Lemony Linguine with Shrimp

 As you can probably tell I love to use lemon in my cooking, but I especially love lemon in pasta dishes. This dish is so easy to make, it has fast become a favorite in my home. The tartness of the lemon is balanced by the sweetness of the shrimp and the heat of the chili flakes. Fresh herbs are incorporated in the final minutes of cooking to give the dish a freshness and tons of flavor. 

I served this dish following my Tomato Bruschetta. A perfect accompaniment! 

Lemony Linguine with Shrimp

Serves 4

1 head of garlic, top chopped off
1 pound dried linguine
2/3 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined*
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp grated lemon zest

*Shrimp with tails on are okay, as well as frozen and defrosted shrimp.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Put head of garlic in a small baking dish and drizzle with about 1 tsp olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes until top is browned and cloves are soft.

While garlic is roasting, whisk together the 1/3 cup oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set the lemon sauce aside. 

Bring a large pot of water to to a boil and salt the water when it has started to bubble. Add the linguine and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still quite firm to bite, about 7-8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water to bring the sauce together. Return the linguine to the pot with a drizzle of olive oil and stir.

When the garlic has come out of the oven, squeeze out the flesh into a small bowl and reserve. Add the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil to a large frying or saute pan and heat over a medium flame. Add the roasted garlic and chili flakes and saute for 1 minute. Pour in the lemon sauce and stir. Add the uncooked shrimp to the sauce and cook until the flesh is pale pink. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp at this stage.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the reserved pasta water to the sauce and stir. Use more of the pasta water as needed. Immediately add the linguine to the sauce and toss with the herbs and lemon zest. Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a platter or bowls to serve. Enjoy!

Raspberry Oat Layer Bars

Raspberries have always been a favorite berry of mine. Small and tart and they complement my morning oatmeal beautifully. Hence this lovely combination in a bar that you can get away with having for breakfast. Next time I may even add some almonds to the topping in order to indulge my healthy breakfast delusions further. But don't be fooled, these yummy little bars are great for any time of the day!

Raspberry Oat Layer Bars
About 20 bars, depending on size

For the base and topping:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes 

For the raspberry layer:

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon or orange zest*

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp flour

1 lb raspberries, preferably fresh but frozen and thawed will do

1/4 cup fresh lemon or orange juice*

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

*I prefer a more tart bar, so I use lemon juice. If you would like a bit sweeter go for the orange. 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Grease and line a 9 x 13 inch pan. Using parchment will help to get the bars out of the pan when cooled. Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl or into a food processor and combine. Add butter and using a pastry blender combine until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the crumbs.

Place the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and push the crust into an even layer. It should be touching all sides of the pan. Bake until golden, about 12-14 minutes. Put onto a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on while making the raspberry layer.

Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together in a large bowl. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and gently toss until the fruit is evenly coated. Get those hands dirty!

Spread the raspberry layer evenly on the base. Sprinkle the reserved cup of crumbs evenly on top of the raspberry layer. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the pan half way through, until the top in golden and the fruit is bubbling. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into bars and serve!

Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Vanilla Bean Tiramisu

Maybe it's the Italian in me, but I love a good tiramisu. My father was Italian, and he taught me so much about the food of his country before I even knew I was interested in cooking. I remember tasting a tiramisu in Little Italy with him, and being quite young I hadn't really tasted coffee before. The bitterness was strange and great at the same time, the creamy marscapone and delicate sponge seemed to melt in my mouth. I've never forgotten that feeling of discovering something new and exciting.

Back to the food... I'm not usually a fan of coffee flavored desserts, but the beauty of this one is that you can "water down" the coffee with some Bailey's, Frangelico, or Kahlua to take the simple tiramisu and make it even more special. I threw some chocolate chips on top of mine, but you can also mix them into the creamy layers. Feel free to experiment! Add nuts, top with fresh strawberries and be comfortable indulging in this dessert, as I've made it with ricotta and greek yogurt for fewer calories and fat!

Vanilla Bean Tiramisu

Serves 8

18 oz Ricotta Cheese

9 oz fat free Greek Yogurt (Plain)

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup strong coffee

1 vanilla bean

1 tsp ground cinnamon

24 savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)

Cocoa powder for dusting

Brew the coffee and scrape the beans from the vanilla pod. Reserve the beans to one side and place the pod into the coffee. Put in the fridge to cool.

Mix the ricotta cheese with the yogurt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the beans from the vanilla pod to the ricotta mixture with the vanilla extract. 

Pour the cold coffee into a small bowl, remove the vanilla pod and mix in the cinnamon. 

Quickly dip half the sponge fingers in the coffee and place in the base of a rectangular serving dish (9 x 12 or similar).

Spread half the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.